Week Two RESULTS, and a bit of venting...

Isn't life funny?
Not in a 'haha, I'm so happy' kind of way. More in a 'how fucking hilarious' type of tone.
But seriously, sometimes I think I was chosen for petty bad luck. I certainly don't feel sorry myself, and I most definitely know the type of bad luck I am referring to is miniscule on a scale of life threatening.

But sometimes it just gives me the shits.

Take for instance, today. I was sick for a week last month, infact, almost exactly a month ago. Stuck inside like a computer geek, I could do nothing but just look at the sun outside. Finally, I decided screw this! And bought myself a hammock. The hammock arrived the following Wednesday. And the following Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and the next week, it torrentially rained every single day.
The hammock still unused.
Last week we see the first sunny day. A miracle! I run outside and put up the hammock. Then my phone rings "we need you to come into work today"...
Uh-huh, of course you do. God wouldn't dare give me a single day of something I want.
So, I leave the hammock once again.
I get home from work, and another week of rain starts.
Only today I wake up, to... a big yellow thing in the sky?! Took me ages to remember what it was called, dear sun. All morning I waited for the clouds to come, but they never did. So, out I go. Hammock goes up. Clouds come back.
Right now, I just nod knowingly, of course it would happen. Why wouldn't it?

Life is fucking hilarious.

I'm also sick again. Not bed ridden sick, but sick enough to pass out after 5 minutes of Body Pump. My stomach keeps cramping and spasming just frequently enough not to allow me to forget I'm sick.
If I'm still sick tomorrow, I will be mighty pissed. Just a month ago I had to miss a week of the gym from being sick, if it happens so soon again, I will sign a legally document which makes sure I am to never go to church or become a worshipper of this petty God and his games.

Oh right, on to that other stuff I am actually here for.

WEEK TWO RESULTS:
Just quick measurements this time, as the scales are still being stubborn as all hell. But hey, some centimetres are still decreasing. And I won't lie, I probably tried half as hard in week two as I did in week one. So, if all goes well and I'm not sick tomorrow, I'm picking up my game... BIG TIME!

Hips: 91cm (lost 1cm)
Abdomen: 90cm (lost 3cm)
Waist: 71cm
Chest: 87cm
Thighs: 61cm
Arms: 34cm

***********************************************************************

Hope I didn't bore or depress you too much with today's winning cynicism post. But let's face it...

Life is fucking hilarious.

Yoghurt? Where art thou? :(

Noooo! I'm all out of yoghurt until tomorrow's grocery shopping!! Let's hope there's no cravings after dinner :(
Guess what? I re measured myself this morning, biting my nails, nervous, sweating, wiping the brow type of 'what if I did get it wrong and I didn't achieve anything?!' Okay, I wasn't that nervous, but I needn't be either. I lost the centimetres!! Woo hoo! Yesterday's measurements were right, so in comparison to the first measurements, I did in fact accomplish something. 12 more weeks of this and I should be pretty happy.
I have to have a little talk with the scales though. Those scummy bastards are stubborn as all hell!

Today I had the day off work, my poor bank account is lonely, but I enjoyed not serving copious cups of coffee to undeserving customers. Due to said day off, I once again found myself at the gym this morning, rather than sucking up the comfort of my lovely bed. I almost didn't go. I am just so bloody tired lately, it's terrible! But I made myself. I can honestly say I didn't put 100% effort into my treadmill run, which disheartens me. But I did put a lot of effort into Body Balance, so hopefully my invisible abs will be feeling it tomorrow!

Now, onto the tired thing. I need help with this. I have not been this tired since highschool when I was going through a growth spurt and beautiful hormonal changes. But, I'm tipping it's not that again. Unless I'm changing into a man this time?
If not, what could it be?! My main thought was the whole change to my lifestyle all of a sudden. See, I've been on holidays from uni for ages now, and for about a month I wasn't going to the gym or doing much exercise. I went on holidays and then was pretty sick for a week or so. And now, all of a sudden, I'm doing intense workouts pretty much everyday, on top of walking around waitressing all day too. And I'm trying to eat better, obviously, but maybe I'm not replacing unhealthy foods with healthy foods that have enough protein, carbohydrates, calories even? I'm being serious here.
So if anyone who even reads this can PLEASE PLEASE tell me what foods are healthy but nutritious enough for a young person doing a lot of exercise and is on the go quite a bit. I'm worried what I'm taking out isn't going back in and so I'm just drained. And I reeeally can't afford to be feeling like this when I go back to uni in March, I won't be having anytime to take little naps here and there! So vitamin me up people!

Peace :)

Week One RESULTS

It seriously can't be this easy?!
First thing I did when I woke up was weigh myself. According to the scales I'm exactly the same, so my spirits dropped a bit.
I got a call at 7.30am while I was lying in bed listening to the rain - "Can you work today?" Me: *hesitant, thinks about money... "Yeah, when?" Boss: "As soon as possible"... Me: *Rolls out of bed and reluctantly gets ready for work* :p
So, with a bit of a rush in my movements, I took my measurements. And they are...

Hips: 92cm
Abdomen: 93cm
Waist: 71cm
Chest: 87cm
Thighs: 61cm
Arms: 64cm

Now, if you have a look at my starting measurements you will see that my...
Hips LOST 2cm
Abdomen LOST 3cm
Waist LOST 2cm
Chest LOST 3cm
Arms LOST 1cm
and just my thighs gained 1cm.

Seriously, it's only been one week - is it possible to have lost that many centimetres already? I'm sooo pleased if it is, and I have! But could I be wrong and just stuffed up on my measurements due to my tiredness and rushing?!
Seriously - please tell me what you think!

To settle myself, I'm going to measure again tomorrow morning when I'm more relaxed and awake and not on my way to work. I'll come back here and post up whether they're the same as today's or not.
I will be sooooo happy if they are!!

Despite the scale being its usually grumpy self, the measurements (if they're correct) have done plenty to boost my motivation, making me see YES it works! So, in about 30 minutes I'm off to the gym to do my Body Pump class.
As you can see I didn't get to do this morning's planned Body Pump and Fat Burner classes due to work. So I'll just have to do Body Pump for today.

Until next time,
Peace :)

*Sings* It's raining again...

It's raining again... *sings*
This post isn't going to have anything significant about my 12 week challenge. Nothing to report on today. It's too early to say whether I ate properly or not today, and I'm not going to the gym or anything. It IS my last day of week one though!

So, I'm pretty glad I didn't end up going away yesterday. The weather is crazy! The roads are so dangerous, and half of them are closed because of flooding. So who knows whether I could have gotten home or not.
I went out last night though, I wasn't going to, I haven't been out with those people in so long, I was worried it would have been awkward and sucked. But... I had a great time!! It was totally normal! I was more talkative than I've been in a long time! :)

Days like today make me want winter just a tiny bit. A rainy sunday when I can just chill, read my book in room, looking out into the dark rainy whether, mmm. Drinking hot chocolate and burning incense. How beautiful!
But then I haaaate winter clothes so much! I love being able to go to uni in some shorts and a top, easy, done. You have to spend too much money in winter and think about it too much!

Okay, my little description just got me wanting my book and a hot chocolate. So, until tonight's update...

Peace :)

Week One Fitness Done!

Yay! The first fitness week is over, and I feel like I did pretty well!
I stuck to what I planned to do, except in situations that I couldn't control, but then if I did miss a class, I made up for it.

What I accomplished in Week One:
Monday: Body Pump - 60 mins
Tuesday: Treadmill - 10kms - 80 mins
Wednesday: Fat Burner - 60 mins
Thursday: Body Pump - 60 mins
Friday: None
Saturday: Treadmill - 3.5kms - 30 mins / Body Balance - 60 mins
Sunday: None

Because I won't be doing any planned workouts tomorrow, but my weight and measuring is Monday mornings, it just means I have to be extra cautious of what I eat.

I'm happy that I went to the gym and did an intense workout 5 days this week, but next week I'm planning to increase this.
Here's Week Two's plan:
Monday: Body Pump - 60 mins / Fat Burner - 60 mins
Tuesday: Treadmill - 5kms - 30-45 mins / Body Balance - 60 mins
Wednesday: Fat Burner - 60 mins
Thursday: Body Pump - 60 mins / Body Balance - 60 mins
Friday: Treadmill - 30 mins or day off
Saturday: Treadmill - 10kms - 80 mins
Sunday: None

Measurements: Below are my first measurements taken, which I will be comparing to on Monday
Hips: 94cm (37")
Waist: 73cm (28.7")
Abdoman/Stomach: 96cm (37.8")
Upper Thighs - Left: 60cm (23.6")
Upper Arms - Left: 35cm (13.8")
Chest: 90cm (35.4")

Day Five

Yesterday I gave my body a rest. I think it was asking for one. Of course I worked all day, which involved walking around and never sitting down. But I didn't go to the gym or anything.
I at fairly decent again too, but all in all, it was probably my worst day so far.

Now, the plans this weekend have changed. I'm not going away now. I am soooo bummed about it! I want to see my friend so bad, give her the present I put so much effort into :( But the weather here is crazy! We're getting the tail end of Cyclone Olga, as well as usual February humidity month, as well as usual Australian weather! We're in the middle of drought. Yet this week it has not stopped raining! And by raining, I mean torrential! There was a landslide not far from here because of it, which caused a train derailment, which in turn meant havoc for commuters trying to get home because the trains had to stop! And last night, the highway from here, and another 40km north was closed because it was flooded! We never get floods because we live too high up. So crazy. So it's not really safe for me to drive down there in this, because the roads are so steep and windy, and I'm not a terribly safe driver at the best of times :p

Although that means I'm bummed, it also means I can go to the gym for a lot longer, and not have little car snacks or anything! Might be going out tonight for a birthday dinner though, but I'll be good. And because I'm driving there will be no alcohol for me :)
So, I'm leaving to go to the gym in about 30 minutes, and my plan - 30-45 minutes on the treadmill, mixture of running, incline and medium-fast paced walking. Hopefully will knock off about 5kms. Then doing a Body Balance class, which is a mixture of pilates, yoga and tai chi. It's sooo wonderful! It's not really a cardiovascular exercise at all (which is why I always make Body Balance days treadmill days as well), but you can really feel it in your muscles. My stomach always feels it the next day more than any other class!
I suggest anyone to give it a go if they have it in there area! It's part of the Les Mills programs.

I'm feeling really irritable today, it sucks. I think it's because of not going away, I really didn't feel like being home this weekend, I need to get away from people's cynicism, it can really bring others down! But I don't have many, if any, friends where I live now. They're all from uni and living so far away, so it sucks. That is why I am going to MAKE myself go to this dinner tonight with local people, and hopefully be confident and social and lift my spirits a bit.

Until next time,
Peace :)

Day Four

Okay, quick update for day 4 this morning, because I was too tired to do it last night.
So I did well again. Did my Body Pump class even though I could have fallen asleep driving down there.
I honestly don't know why I am so tired all the time lately, but it's really affecting me. I'm hoping my body is reacting to the extra exercise and everything, and will get better as it falls into the routine a bit more.

Went to the shops last night with my mum :) And picked up a few necessary things.
Some proper joggers for the gym!! When I did my 10km run the other day I was watching in the reflection as my ankles rolled in with every move, thinking 'ooh thats gonna hurt later'. And it did! I probably could have pushed out for a little longer, but my feet and ankles were just so sore!
My mum bought them for me, they were $200 reduced down to $150. I am sooooooo grateful she bought them! There is NO WAY I would ever be able to afford something like that! But they will probably last me forever now!

She also bought me...

Nature's Way protein shakes. Tastes like a milshake, but not! Full of vitamins and protein. They can be used as a meal replacement or supplement. I was going to have one this morning because it should fill me for a while at work. Can't wait to try it!

And finally - I wasn't going to go to the gym today, it was going to be my day off. But I decided I might for for a quick 30minute treadmill run to try out my new joggers :p

Also, I'm facing a challenge this weekend. I'm driving down about 2 hours to visit my best friend who moved out this week. I'll still go to the gym before I leave saturday morning, and I never go sundays anyway, so that's okay. But... I'm hoping I keep to my healthy eating! I cannot by car snacks or anything down there, okay? Wish me luck!

Peace :)

Realisation... and QUESTION!

I know, 3rd post today. What the heck?!
But as I sit here listening to my stomach beckoning it's lunch, I finally decided to share what I've discovered lately.
Since doing a lot more exercising I've realised my appetite has increased. Sounds like a bad thing, right? Well not really. See, I've always had a pretty slow metabolism, but I would eat anyway. My parents would serve dinner, and even though I wasn't hungry yet, I had to eat it anyway. So it kind of took away the whole 'eat when you're hungry, eat until you're full' idea.
But now I think I've started to increase my metabolism (I've read a change in exercise can do that). And it's good because now I am only eating when I'm hungry and I'm stopping when I'm full. So my portions are smaller, and I'm eating healthier because there's no random little nibblies between meals or snacks.

QUICK QUESTION - Totally off topic but something that bugs me to no end! How the heck do you get your earphones to stay in your ears when running?!?!
I did a whole 10km run the other day with no music and nothing to take my mind of what I was doing. It was so annoying!! So for you music loving runners out there - what's the secret?! Or do I just have super small ear holes? :p

And now for lunch!

Wholemeal toast, banana and cinnamon - Yummo!

This morning I made the yummiest breakfast!
I have the day off work today, and although that means no money, it means chilling until gym and shopping tonight. (Don't worry, not fun shopping, necessity shopping)
So, with spare time on my hands I managed to get myself a nice hearty breakfast.

Ingredients:
1 banana - can be very ripe. A good way to use it instead of throwing it out
2 slices of wholemeal bread
pinch of cinnamon and pinch of raw sugar

All I did was toast my bread, made it nice and warm. Then mushed up the banana and spread it onto one side of the toast. Like you would do with vegemite or jam or something. It's opptional how thick you want it, but I did mine no more than 5mm thick. Obviously didn't use the whole banana.
Then I just put it under the grill for a few minutes, just enough time to warm up the banana and it melted in a bit. Don't cook the banana.
And ta-da! Just sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon and raw sugar over the banana on both slices.
And you've just made yourself the perfect filling breakfast for a rainy morning :)

And now, I'm off for a quick drive to the shops to buy a crusty roll for my lunch. I would walk, but it has been pouring like crazy all morning, and still is! So I'll just work even harder at Body Pump this afternoon :p

Peace :)

Water water water!

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post (Day 3) that I would have drank about 3 litres of water!
Hopefully will do that, plus more, today!

Day Three - Ahh my legs!

My.leg.are.so.freaken.tired. But it's wonderful! I was so tired after work today (I walked there and home) and I waitress so it involves standing and walking around all day. I was so tired that I almost didn't want to go to gym. I was even ready to fall asleep driving down there! But I want, I stuck it through, almost having to give up my legs were so buggered from today and yesterday's 10km treadmill workout. But I completed the Fat Burner class like I said I would :D How fantastic am I?!
Now all I have to do is the two classes tomorrow - an hour of Body Pump and an hour of Body Balance and I get friday off from gym before I go for another treadmill run saturday!

Food wise I feel quite happy with myself. I did have two lots of bread, which I was hoping not to. But wednesdays are hard because I have to have something filling before work because I don't get a break, then I'm starving after work so I usually have something that is lunch size again. (By lunch size for me, I just mean a sandwich though)
But there have been no unhealthy foods yet! (It's 9pm now) I almost caved straight after dinner and went for something sweet and unhealthy for desert. But by the time I finished cleaning up and had a shower, I got over the craving. Now all I want to have before bed is a nice cup of tea while I read my loooovely romance novel :p

AWESOME IDEA though... for those of you out there who have trouble not having desert. I read it in my gym's magazine and decided to buy some (I've had them before and they're delicious)
Yoplait brand yoghurt have a range of low fat (99% fat free) AND low sugar (69 calories per tub) Because let's face it, it isn't always the fat in foods that can make us unhealthy! And the best part is, they come in awesome flavours. Not just fruit ones, but vanilla annnnd even better cheesecake! So if you LOVE your desert but hate that it makes you feel guilty, or feel like crap with all the fat and sugar - try and find yoghurts like these! It seriously tastes just like a cheesecake, but with 1% fat and less than 100 calories. YUMMO!

Annnd finally - I've decided to weigh myself weekly, obviously. So next monday will be my first weigh in. I'm worried about what the scales might tell me - as in that I haven't lost. But I will also be doing measurements and taking another progress photo. I've decided that I will share the weigh in and the measurements each week, but not the photos yet.
I think measurements are verrry important in this process because let's face it, what they say is true muscle weighs more than fat. And honestly (because I've been upping the exercise and stuff for a little while now, not just this week) I feel like I AM seeing a difference in certain areas of the body. My legs are looking toner, especially the thighs and calves, and my triceps/biceps are becoming a bit more defined.
Hopefully the tape measure says the same thing, but I'll just wait till monday to see!
But even if it doesn't - I won't let it get me down. I will stay motivated because I can do it. I know I can.

Peace :)

Day Two - 10km conquered!

Quick quick! Don't have long. It's only 9.15pm but I've decided I want to be in bed ready to sleep at 10pm tonight! Why? Because I don't sleep enough and am ALWAYS tired. I usually go to bed around midnight (when I don't have to do uni work as well) and my stubborn body clock always wakes up around 4.30-5am. So I get like 4 hours sleep a night.
So... NO MORE! As I've said this challenge isn't just about dieting and going through a pointless fad for a few weeks, it's about making lifestyle changes to be healthier AND happier. My first rule - Sleep more.

Today's recount
Anyway, a quick recount of today. I didn't end up doing my 30minute/4km treadmill workout and Body Balance class. I felt so bad, I went to the gym after work (after standing up and waitressing all day) and instead, did a 10 KILOMETRE workout! I'm sooo happy with myself!! I combined running, incline (up hill) fast paced walking and then medium to fast pace walking during these stages. I feel awesome! My legs are tired, my muscles hurt, and I'm tired. I couldn't be better :)
It was funny how it happened. I felt bad not going to gym in the morning I decided to do the treadmill for an hour instead of half an hour. But then, I got to about 5kms and thought to myself - you know? I'm going to go for 10. It was getting hard as I got to 7kms, but I pushed and pushed and waited till I saw the "Distance: 10.0" on the screen and was all happy. And then got to stretch off and go home!
I did realise one thing with that long run/walk though - I need to buy proper sport shoes. My dunlops don't support my feet and ankles enough. I need proper joggers, which unfortunately means spending more than $20, boo hoo!

Food wise I did great too! No junk food, no little snacks between meals and snacks. I had a bowl of cereal with half a cup of skim milk for breakfast. A wholemeal sandwich and a banana for an early lunch to fill me for work. After work I had a tub of low fat yoghurt, and a few rice crackers because I felt like something savoury. Then after gym I had dinner - a prawn and vegetable stirfry with just a honey sauce, and a small serving of rice. And because I've decided to go to bed real soon, I'm about to clean my teeth. And once my teeth are cleaned of a night I NEVER eat anything else. So it will stop any late night munchies I usually get :p

Tomorrow's plan
Work in the day again, then a Fat Burner class at the gym which goes for an hour. And I'll report on tomorrow's food in the next blog at the end of the day.

All in all I'm happy with today's efforts.

And for all the bookworms out there...
I decided to pick myself up a different book today. For some weird reason lately, I've felt like reading a light hearted Nicholas Sparks romance novel. I searched everywhere for ages and the only decent Nicholas Sparks one I could find in any bookshop was "The Lucky One". So I'm about to start reading it, and hopefully it will send me off to sleep.
I'll get back to you on whether or not it's a decent read!

Peace :)

Day One

Reporting in for day one!
So, I'm pleased to say that I made myself go to the gm despite how tired I was come 5.30pm, and how I was so tempted to be lazy! But I went, did Body Pump class, first time in like a month or more so my weights were a little lower than I had gotten up to. I'll list my current weights below so I can keep check and make sure I'm improving!

Food wise, however, I could have been a little better. I didn't really have junk food or anything, I just know I could do a bit better as I get into this more. But the time shall come! I'll keep a food diary when I'm not feeling so lazy, maybe I'll post it up tomorrow. It's night time now, I'm laying in bed and don't feel like thinking too much :)

Tomorrow's plan: I got a call from my boss today asking if I can help at work tomorrow 12pm, and I panicked for a second thinking I wouldn't be able to go to gym like usual Tuesday mornings. But where there's a will there's a way! I'm going to the gym, doing my treadmill run/incline walk/medium paced walking for 4-5km and then doing a Body Balance class, which is a mixture of palates, yoga and tai chi, and then having a quick shower at the gym, throwing on my work clothes, jumping in the car and driving straight to work. Then driving to the second hand bookshop after work to get myself a light hearted book for once. I'm thinking a Nicholas Sparks romance to keep me company while chilling on my hammock :)

Body Pump current weights:
Squats - 12kg
Chest - 7kg
Back - 10kg
Triceps and Biceps - 7kg
Lunges - 7kg
Shoulder - 7kg

Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow to update on if I kept up my challenge, and what book I decided to get!
Peace :)