UGH and Other obscenities.

Ugh..Yep. This week has been a little lack lustre for me. Been eating well and exercising, BUT I have had several nights or really BAD sleep. Now for me to say they are really bad is a significant thing. I struggle with decent sleep on a daily basis,  I guess you could say I suffer from a form of insomnia.   I take herbal sleeping aids (Valerian, hops, passionflower etc) nightly to help me to get to sleep and wake somewhat refreshed. But for several nights I have woken up and been unable to get back to sleep for several hours. This resulted in me be flat out exhausted more than usual.  I was in a dazed fog on Tuesday, which lead to another issue. Whilst at the gym doing my thing I  have over done it a little and now my left knee (and my shins but not as much as my knee) is really causing me some discomfort. (pain!!!)  So no gym for me today. Will still try to get out and walk again. We did last night but I pushed it again and ran a little...probably shouldn't have..But I REALLY wanted too!  So I will be easing off on the running till it feels better. :(

On another note, scales are not being as nice to me this week. I put this down to a lot of soreness in my body and the fact I probably have not been drinking enough water. I know that water is very important when trying to lose weight ( and get healthy) and when Im busy I tend to forget. I did a few hours of housework yesterday and realised I had not drunk any water...Promptly got on that and felt a little better. I don't usually bring water with me when I walk either cause I hate carrying it and I usually chew gum. Another terrible habitat with water. But I do try to get at least my 2 litres in every day.

So today is also R U OK? day. This is a cause close to my heart, having struggled from depression and anxiety in my life. Its all about Suicide prevention. So many people out there feel so alone that they take their own lives,  leaving behind loved ones, families and children.  Simply asking those close to you, who might be struggling "R U OKAY?" could save their life. Have you asked your friends if they R OK lately??  I urge you to ask the question. It could make the difference to them. Do it today!

Anyway, Im feeling really good in myself, I feel fitter and already feeling more toned, less bloated and generally much healthier. and really when it all comes down to it, this is what Im aiming for. being a fitter, healthier, happier me.

Insert clever title here

So after Sunday's fiasco (I shall call it that, because although I did it I did not do as I wanted to) I started to get irritated about the jogging and how exhausted I was and that I couldn't finish the podcast.  I thought to myself, self, you were doing more intervals on the treadmill for longer and you were fine, it's the stupid weather and smoke and hilliness, etc. So today I wanted to prove my point.  I just did 20 minutes on the treadmill, but I ran for 10 of them. Granted there were 5 2 minute intervals, but I'm nowhere near doing that in one chunk and I know it.  For now I settle for intervals.  I did them just fine, no breathlessness, no exhaustion, just good sweaty heavy breathing.
So, I do not like you outdoor running, no I don't.  At least not structured running where I feel I have to do what some guy tells me.  If I do it again I'll do it on my own terms and when I feel like I can.

Anyways, so besides that today, I have upped my weight on some things. Today I focused on my upper body and abs as the flabbiness in those areas was irritating me especially today.  So 100 things on the ab machine, and 100 things on the twisty machine (don't say that's cheating 'cause it does work AND I did normal ones later), did a bunch of bicep curls and various tricep exercises. In between these I jumped on the bike and did a hilly stint for 15 minutes just to get my heart rate back up.

All in all a good workout.  I'm itching to get on the scale now, but will attempt to refrain until Friday.  I'm not feeling much loss in my body though which sucks, but we'll see what the number say as I've been super good with my eating and moving, although we did rest yesterday as well. Melanie's shins hurt and I've got 4 major assignments due next week.

That is all for now.Off to eat some lunch and go to school.

Super Sunday!

Well Ok, maybe not super Sunday, but it has been a pretty decent Sunday so far. Well for the most part.
As I said yesterday, we went off early this morning to go do the Riverway circuit. It was lovely and cool, a slight hint of smoke in the air due to some local bushfires but a great day to be outside and working out. We started out early enough that the air was nice and the sun was only just starting to warm up. We had every intention of using the Podcast of C25k (week 2) to pace ourselves. I managed to finish off the podcast as planned but as Sa said she struggled a little today. But by the end of the podcast she had caught up with me. So while she may not have been able to pace to the podcast I think she did ok!  So as promised I took some pictures using my phone...in the process I misplaced my drivers license.:(  We went back to where I had taken my phone out hoping that I might find it with no luck. :(  But anyway... Some pictures!!

We did the Orange Circuit. where you see the blue lines is the section we did three times! GAH!

Sa Pretending she was Dying. Lol

A proper sweaty Mess!

Some of our view! Lots to see!

DUCKS!!! Lots and LOTS of ducks!

Looked very inviting! Maybe one day we can do some laps here?

That last Picture was taken just before I realised My License wasn't in the "fanny pack" ( Bumbag we call it here) and we back tracked to try to find it. So that added on a bit to our workout. But we still kicked it in a decent time I think.

Then I got home and went with The Family to a family Birthday party (FIL turned 60 today!). I even ate well there..turned down not one..but TWO Delicious looking cakes! I ate an apple I brought from home instead!

So there you have it folks! A Sunday workout in pictures!

Riverway walk/jog

So we went to Riverway this morning at 9am.  Nice, didn't seem too hot, nice breeze, we were doing week 2 of c25k.  Started out alright, I made it through 2 intervals of running, noticing how different it was than on the treadmill.  I started to wilt.  We've had bush fires lately and there was one burning.  It started to feel really hot and I couldn't catch my breath from the heat and smoke. So, wah wah wah, I failed. Couldn't do it.  I ran on my own intervals when I could and ended up catching up to Melanie (she did it properly) about a min into the 5 min cool down.  Then we walked, took some pics which are on her phone so I'll let her post, and then realised she'd dropped her drivers licence. DOH!  So back we went...(this is what made the 3.7km into 5k's). Didn't find it so hopefully someone will send it to her.
Anyways, I have loads of school work to do and the house will be quiet for a while today as everyone else is going out. I need to take advantage of that time and do some serious work.

I may attempt to do the c25k on the treadmill, but not sure about doing it on roads yet. Would have to be cool enough and no fires going. And my knee bothers me when I run for intervals longer than 3 mins.

That is all.  Pictures to follow.

Steaming On....and on..and on...

Thought I should pipe in here...We have been doing really well this week! Im so happy with our progress and or dedication to working out. We did miss Friday, but that was due to me being flat out exhausted (late shift at work Thursday night) and my feet really hurting. And in spite of not being able to sleep very well last night we even dragged our bums to the gym this afternoon for a short but sweet workout. I was off my game today, only managing 15 minutes on the treadmill instead of my usual 30 but I knew it was gonna be a short one. I was beat but really needed the workout. I attempted a new ( well out of my routine) cross trainer type machine to finish off my workout. Just to spice it up some. Upped some of my weights which felt great. Planning on "freestyle" workout tomorrow. We are going to hit the Riverway loop early and get it in the bag before it gets too hot (and I have a family commitment). Its roughly about 4.5k  long and its a nice scenic view.  We might be able to get some nice "workout" pictures too? Looking forward to it...Providing I sleep ok tonight. ( Stupid wind banging the blinds in my room!)

So Im feeling right up there on the top of the world right now... Im  not as dedicated as Sa is to staying off the scales. I have weighed myself a couple of times and I am happy to report that since Sunday's post gym weight I am down 2.9kg ( Or 6.3lbs) !!! So thrilled. I love seeing those numbers go down. And it really keeps me on track. One day when I am less embarrassed by the numbers on the scale I might actually photograph those weighs. But well...Not yet. And Maybe. No promises.

This week has been interesting. This is the first time I have had to try to combine working out with all my now usual daily events  ( kids, cleaning, cooking etc). Previously I was a SAHM when I did my journey to fitness and health, so pulling all this together with work has been something I have had to get use too. I think, in time It will be just fine. I actually don't mind hitting the gym first thing in the morning before heading into work, although it does seem a little busy there then. We will figure out schedule that will work best for us.

So that's my little update for now. I will likely be back tomorrow with another update of our riverway workout. and maybe some pics too.

Till tomorrow!

Imma idiot

I'm such a fucking idiot.  After a short but good stint at the gym, I come home, shower etc, and sit down in front of my laptop.  Open it up, and this is what I see....

I had left a pen inside and closed it without realising it. The only reason I can use it is because I've hooked it up to Melanie's old monitor.  This is gonna cost me.  I only got this laptop in December. Wonderful.  So after a very productive day of completing one out of four essays for Uni, and nearly completing another, washing clothes and sheets and getting to the gym this upended my day.  I was in a good mood before this.  Technically it's still under warranty, but knowing the business, it's unlikely they'll fix it under warranty.

Sigh. Anyway, on my weigh in on Friday I had lost 1.5 kg (nearly 4lbs?) in 4 1/2 days.  I am going to wait to weigh again until this Friday.  Oh, I got a new purple gym singlet which I likes a lot.

So I'm leaving for now.  I'm in a foul mood so I'll spare you all. One good thing about tonight.... fresh clean sheets. mmmmmmm clean sheets.

Day 5

So I was gonna weigh in today, but I figure I'll leave it until Friday and do it then.

I um...sort of ditched a lecture today and went to the gym instead (that's a good reason, right?)  They only would have been talking about electricity and I DID do the pre-requisite reading for it. AND I listened to a different lecture on my mp3 player while at the gym. Even if it was VERY quiet, damn volume.
Anyways, today I did just about 3 km's in 30 mins.  I did some intervals with 2 mins of jogging and 1 1/2 min walking, about 4 or 5 of them.  Then I also did some inclines.  I keep the treadmill at a 2.5 or 3 incline when I'm walking or jogging anyway, but then hiked it up to between 9-11 at different times.  Then did some weights, found the chest presses easier, may increase the weight next time, and did more reps of the hip abductor and other things. Got on a bike on random (hilly) for 15 mins with a 3 min cool down.  Felt great but my butt and thighs are sore and will be tomorrow.  It was only on level 5 but it's a start and I consistently pedaled between 85 rpms and 100. Then, some abs and arm work and a stretch.  Was a good hour and a half or so.

Well, I suppose I'll add my pictures as well.  I'm pissed at myself as well for letting me get big again.  I lived in a BIG body (my highest was 108 kg or 240lbs, I'm 5'6) for 10 years and loved how at felt at my lowest (77 kg or 170lbs).  I felt fit and strong and like I looked good.  I was super happy with myself. Now, not so much.

Like Melanie said, food's been good, we've both been active for the past 5 days so, here's looking forward to that skinny me again, even though my goal was a bit lower than that.

Here's my dreadful pictures from two days ago.  We haven't decided how often to take photos.

September 6, 2011

So, I wont be wearing that shirt for a while either, it kept creeping up on me while I was working out.  Obviously need some work on my belly, thighs and arms and hips.  I was also informed a few days ago that I was "getting a booty" Melanie's words... So, basically I usually have a flat butt. No getting around it, so umm, I guess I need my flat butt back??  I dunno, but it needs to fit back into my shorts as summer's just around the corner.

Thank you, come again.