Swimming in the Deep....

Hello there,

Since my last blog (the 10k I ran unprepared for and hungover)....I have done myself a few minor injuries! Happens the best of us I am sure. I am still training quite hard in the gym and dancing also - but injuries really impact progress.

Because I chose to train for a 10k a whole 3 days before the race - it was inevitable something bad would happen. So I finished the race - with two sore knees. They got progressively worse - and I now feel like an 80 year old when I sit down and stand up! To then add insult to injury (quite literally) - I hurt my left foot doing dead lifts last week. If I was a horse I would probably be put down.

On a side note - I opened a bottle of processo and the cork hit my forehead that same weekend, I fell into a pool on holidays and hurt my two elbows. So the song goes something like this....Head, elbows, knees and toes, knees and toes. So I was advised to take it easy and do less "jumping" or less impact exercises on my knees and foot. I was told to maybe go swimming. Swimming is not something I am very good at - so I decided to look up what classes I could do "in the water". The last time I did aqua aerobics - I brought the average age down by about 40 years, but this time I saw there was a "deep water aqua" - ever the risk taker me!

I signed up for Deep Water Aqua in my gym for that night - I assumed it was going to be just like aqua fit - I was wrong! As with the name - the water was very deep - like definitely no touching the ground no matter what height you are! Thankfully the pool provides floaties to go around your waist. However - with my luck, I landed myself with a Ryanair-esque version. A cheap one - that didn't really keep me a-float!

The class involved mainly cardio work and resistance training in the water - jogging, sprinting and core work for the hour. It was really tough work - but I enjoyed it immensely. The age group varied from girls in their twenties - to lil old ladies. Not a fella in sight - the male lifeguard was in his element.

I came out of the pool an hour later breathless and had sore legs. But my knees and ankle felt absolutely fine. Not putting pressure on them definitely helped. So if you are sporting an injury, or just looking for something completely different to do- I would recommend Deep Water Aqua for a giggle and work out.

Other than that - I have been doing lots of stretching, foam rolling and trying to be mindful of my injuries so I don't make them worse! Hopefully I will be back to normal in no time and working out with no injuries to worry about.

I am still doing my best to eat as healthy as I can - of course there are cheat meals, and hungover days - but for the most part - the eating healthy malarkey does get easier as time goes on. I have finally got my hands on a very cool protein shaker thingy - so next step is do purchase some protein powder. This will help my body recover between workouts.

Just love this lulu lemon quote....

All this hard work paid off when I tried on my bridesmaid dress for a wedding I am a bridesmaid at in 2 weeks - it felt awesome that I could have fitted another bridesmaid into the dress with me :)

I hope you are enjoying the blogs - and I would only love to hear some of your stories or feedback!

SJ x

SJ does 10k!

                                             

Since I last blogged - I trained for and ran a 10k. The last blog I wrote was not that long ago. So the main tip I would give you my friends- preparation is everything! Although I am doing strength and conditioning workouts - I found out the hard way, I am not fit on a treadmill!

I signed up for the Samsung night run on Sunday 27th April and started training on Tuesday 22nd April. Bad idea. Real Bad. Today is Tuesday - 48 hours after I crossed that finish line - and although, I'm writing this blog so I obviously survived it, I am in a LOT of pain!

So far this blog looks really negative - so I'm going to change that!. If you think you would like to tackle a 10k - or a 5k maybe, it is a really great thing to do. I enjoy races for a number of reasons; I like having a route outdoors without 40 sets of traffic lights or running the risk of getting knocked down by the 46A, the adrenalin before and during the race is amazing and most of all - on finishing the race - there is a massive sense of achievement. I'm also a bit competitive - so I love passing people out during the race and tripping people up to get rid of the competition. All lies - but running is a race is a lot of fun, just don't take anyone out!
                                             
A friend of mine, Olga, signed up for the race with me. Another great idea - to have support in the lead up to the race, on the day of and during the race too. Just another handy tip -I will go into more on our race in a little bit.

Training (or lack of): In preparation for the race I took to the treadmill and ran 3k on a Tuesday night in 15 minutes. That was very fast for me! My knees were in a LOT of pain the next night. But psychologically I said - right tomorrow I will double it. I was advised by a pro to only do 3k again and maybe 3k on a cross trainer. But guess what I did - 6k on the treadmill. Silly move. I was now shattered and sore before the weekend! So lesson for you all - give yourself a few weeks to train for a race- and rest in between each day!

I did not run any more until race day, I spent time in sauna and steam room and spent a lot of time foam-rolling seriously tired muscles. One more day til race day - how many more mistakes can I make? One...yes just one. I had planned to go out on Saturday night. I went out and drank about 5 drinks (possibly more!). Worst mistake yet. I felt EVERY one of those drinks during the race. So - I make all the mistakes and you can all learn from them. Do not, under any circumstances drink alcohol the night before a race. You may see that booze again after the race!

Race day -Hungover but I managed to eat strategically, little and often. Things like eggs are good, nuts for energy and carb loading is allowed (woooohooo to Carbs!) and I made sure that I ate about 3 hours before I ran to give it time to digest. I also bought a protein bar for directly after the race (this was the only sensible thing I did!)

                                                            

We arrived to the start line around 15 minutes before the race, the atmosphere was electric. Everyone in the same glow in the dark tops (but yellow is so not my colour) - there was an organised warm up and a DJ. It felt very cool to be part of! With your race pack you get a timing chip - and your result gets put on a website, so there is no hiding when you cross the line! With that in mind, Olga and I had set ourselves a target of between 54-57 minute for the 10k.

The race was tough, really tough, The route was hard work - a lot of uneven surfaces (kinda dangerous when it is dark out!), and I think the race was over subscribed. There was a couple of "gridlock" moments. But once we got into our stride it was fine! There are usually markings to show when you hit each KM, which is great at times (but I did want to cry a couple of times - like eh at 2,3,4,5 k etc!). Olga and I stayed at same pace for the whole race - she jogged fast and I kept up. If I was on my own I would sprint and jogged slowly. Everyone has their own way - so my advice is do your own thing or maybe find out by doing a few races what works for you.

We finished the 10k - and felt very proud! We did it in 56 mins - I was hoping for a little faster, but always next time. Finally - warming down and stretching in the hours and days after the race cos guess what - I didnt do that. And now I am in bits!

                                                    
I have added a list of a few races that are coming up - I will probably run a few of them - so if anyone fancies joining me - just let me know!

Date	Event	Location	Distance
June 2nd	Flora Women’s Mini Marathon	City Centre	10K
June 28th	Dublin Race Series	Phoenix Park	5 mile
July 20th	Dublin Race Series	Swords	10K
July 17th	St. James Hospital	City Centre	6K
August 23rd	Dublin Race Series	Phoenix Park	10 mile
August 30th	Great Pink Run	Phoenix Park	10K/5K
Sept 20th	Dublin Race Series	Phoenix Park	Half Marathon

Hope your enjoying the blog! SJ x

                                               

Downtime and My Debut Detox

Hello one and all! It has been a while since I last blogged quite a bit has happened. First off - I developed a pretty bad chest infection at the start of March, that left me bed bound for a good few days. This was obviously not ideal from the ole training front - but I was probably burning the candle at both ends and I learned my lesson to take it a little easier from now on!

Whilst being sick for the week, all I wanted to do was eat crap. It was pretty tough being ill and eating healthy - but I did my best not to lose the run of myself! Lots of fruit and veg to aid the recovery.  I couldn't train for a whole week -and even when I got back into training - I was still nowhere near my fitness from before my chest infection. But I eased myself back into training and now - a couple of weeks later I am totally fine!

After my illness- I felt like getting some sun on my bones, so myself and my friend booked a week in the Canaries. Holidays can also be a bit of a disaster from a fitness perspective! For once (in probably forever) - I actually didnt mind so much getting into a bikini and flaunting what my mother gave me in front of a load of strangers around the pool! So I was determined not to have a week of boozing and eating crap coupled with no exercise. I tried to eat well - which isnt always easy on holidays, but where there is a will there is a way eh! But when I felt like ordering what I wanted off the menu (or ordering my favourite dessert) ... I didnt feel one bit guilty! I did exercise a little over there (thanks to Lisa being organised and bringing yoga blocks and mats etc!)..just did about 15-20 mins of plank, squats and tricep dips. Every little helps I guess!

My final update for this blog was my first attempt at a detox! A few of my friends in work had tried it -so I said why not! I ordered 3 day detox plan from PureGreen in Georges Arcade for 75eur (or they can deliver to work or your home for free!). Its 4 juices a day for 3 days. Zero food - yes...not a morcel of solid food for 3 whole days. Madness I hear you say...but in reality I really enjoyed it! I rarely weigh myself - as muscle weighs more than fat - so dont often see a huge change on the scales..but for a change I decided to weigh myself before the detox, end of day 2 and end of day 3.

Day 1 - woke up and panicked - Oh Holy Fook - no food for 3 days- Im starving (mostly psychological I would imagine!)... but I was very hungry for all of Day 1. Enerjuice for brekkie and Liquid Lunch for Lunch was just like any juice, was very tasty and a mix of fruit and veg. They are juices now (not like a smoothie) - so you really dont feel like your full after them! Got an almighty headache in the afternoon (which Im pretty sure was down to sugar withdrawals!). Got home - didnt exercise (the people at PureGreen recommending not exercising/light exercise when detozing). Final juice of the day was a beetroot based juice. It was awful - I got used to it eventually, but not one I would wanna be trying regularly! Went to bed early - and slept like Ive never slept before.

Day 2 - woke up before my alarm (another first ever!). Had heaps of energy and felt great going to work. Was really feeling effects of the detox - less bloated already and felt I had energy naturally (not needing granola bars etc!). Today was a different combo of juices - Enerjuice was yummy. Proceeded by the worst to come - I had been warned!!Super Juice - ok the contents may have been super (Kale, Spinach, Celery, Parsley, Cucumber and Wheatgrass)...but it tasted far from super. I cried a little inside with every drink. But I finished it!! I also exercised on Day 2 - bad idea!! Follow the rules- and go for a light walk. I nearly collapsed trying to do any form of exertion of energy!! Took trip to the gym in work gear, weighed myself and walked out (gym go-ers must have thought I was delirious if I was expecting to lose weight by walking to the gym alone!)...down 2kgs in 48 hours (thats about 4.5 pounds). I was astonished. Early to sleep again - great sleep again!

                                                   (The one that broke my heart)

Day 3 - same as day 2- up before my alarm. Heaps of energy and I wasn't craving food at all. Was getting used to my juices...but looking forward to solid food all the same! My skin and hair felt great and all in all, it was a great 3 days. Did a weigh in again at the end of the day and was nearly exactly same weight as day 2 - but 4.5 pounds in 3 days was great. It may have been mainly water retention, but it felt good to set the body back to zero for a change and get rid of all the badness in my system!

Thats it for now, weather is picking up outside, so I think I will sign up for a few 5ks or 10ks to keep me out of trouble and see if I can beat my personal best in a 10k now that I seem a lot fitter.

Hope you enjoyed the blog - and as always happy to hear any feedback or answer any questions!
SJ x

Getting Up Close and Personal!

I'm back! You guys are too kind with your feedback. If my blog has entertained you, got you off the sofa (sofa-it-is is the worst ever), made you try a new class - Im thrilled! If its done none of those things mentioned - I would say quit reading now because its more of the same!
What was orginially a 4 week blog (for that depressing month of January) - is now being extended! I will try and blog monthly and keep you posted on my fitness stories (and mishaps!).

So I kept up the "No (bad) Carbs and No Crap" diet for just over 3 weeks in the lead up to my birthday. At which point I undid all the goodness! But it really did get easier as time went on. It is all about being organised, knowing what is good for you and most importantly - avoiding all things that taste in any way nice as well as alcohol. I've come to the conclusion - if it tastes good - it's probably not good for you! It's not all about working out - you have to be eating healthy too unfortunately!

After the 3 weeks of eating healthy - I am feeling a LOT more energetic. I am drinking far more water. A friend of mine told me - you should drink water until you cannot drink anymore. Im not a big water drinker - but Im making a concious effort to drink 2-3 litres a day. Having a bottle on my desk at work definitely helps. Another thing I have noticed - most of the time when I think Im hungry - I am more often dehydrated. So drink (water) to your hearts content!

As well as eating healthy, I have done everything in my power to cut out the alcohol where possible - so I now avoid a "small glass of wine" on a Monday, or after work wine on a Thurs and crazy nights out at the weekend. Once you get over the inital stigma of not drinking and people going "Oh SJ is definitely preggers if she isnt drinking" - it's fine. I just have sparking water to replace the sparking wine cravings!

Alcohol is absolutely lethal - I had one big night out last weekend (said night that I ate my weekly calore intake in a night also!) - and I wasnt right for 3 days. Dont get me wrong - it was a great night, and we have to enjoy ourselves too. So every now and then its ok to go out and have a few drinks. On the upside - I was a very cheap date and was nicely merry after 2 glasses of prosecco! It was more the not being able to eat healthy for the next 2 days - I just wanted sugary foods and takeaway. Which meant the badness continued. But Im back to normal now a good 72 hours later!

As well as eating healthy- I have also started getting personal training sessions @Functional Training Ireland with Joey Boland - Personal Trainer/Physio to the stars (well GAA All-Stars!) and me. Lucky him Right! Despite the bruises, the torture I endure and the odd broken nail - I really enjoy it. And Im not just saying that. I am doing group training sessions twice a week (usually 2-4 people of similar fitness). Training can be done in the morning or during lunch hour. FTI typically avoid training people late in the evening as people are tired after work. Which is interesting because I usually train in the evening in my gym.

If you are a morning person (which I am categorically not) - then you should train before work. Benefits (according to Google!) - 1. consistent workout i.e. you are unlikely to avoid training because of work or a social commitment. 2. Jump Starts your metabolism and keeps it elevated for hours- which is great for us folk that sit at a desk all day! 3. Gives you energy - releasing endorphins and other hormones first thing in the morning. I am just a pleasure to be around after a morning workout. I wouldn't talk to me on a normal morning! 4. Clears your mind - and you start the day stress free. 5. Your done! - biggest benefit of all - you have  your daily exercise done if you wish!

Back to the personal training - I am into week 3 of 12 - and I am certainly feeling a lot fitter. I am feeling stronger and more confident doing exercises. Although personal training puts a bigger dent in your pocket- I am a total advocate. Getting the personal attention and being told (sometimes over and over again!) that I am doing something wrong and then fixing it is invaluable. "Get off your toes SJ" - thats the most common one. Funny though - my Irish dancing teacher would have said "Get up on your bloody toes SJ!".

Some people have asked what exactly we do in personal training. Typically - I train with one other girl, and we do different circuits - exercising all parts of the body. Examples of circuits include lunges with weights, squats with kettlebells and medicine ball work. My recent favourite is push ups - on my head. Sounds ridiculous - but I managed it! If you are working towards a certain goal, an event or just want to kick start your fitness - see whats available near you. Group personal training is not as expensive as you might think. Now enough selling eh!

If you are to take only two things from this blog it is...1) Avoid Sofa-itis wherever possible and 2) Eat Protein with every meal. Two very different points, but both important!

1. Sofa-itis - that urge you get to sit on the sofa when you get in from work. Don't do it. You will be sorry! Go for a walk, go try a new dance class - some of my friends have started swinging recently (Swing dancing - duh!) - and they just love it, or get out and take up a group sport like tag. No excuses once the weather improves!

2, Protein with every meal. Functional Training Ireland also provided me with lots of good nutrition tips - and this is the main one I have taken on board. I did an assessment - and most days I only ended up having protein with one of my meals. But now - I try and get some form of protein in each meal e.g. eggs or low fat plain yohgurt for brekkie, tuna at lunch, red meat with dinner and turkey as a snack! And if your really really into eating healthy - you should try get veggies in with every meal too - e.g. carrots, tomatoes, spinach and broccoli.

Now - Im off to circuits so I can practice what I preach. I am also going to start taking protein shakes to see what the craze is about -so watch this space!

Hope you enjoyd the read - happy gymming/dancing/getting fit!

SJ x

I did it!

Well I promised I would do a 4 week blog - and here is the last installment! I have enjoyed blogging on my gymming experiences and new eating habits! If it wasnt for this blog Im 100% sure I would not have seen the inside of my gym as much as I did in January.

This week saw me return to two classes I did in Weeks 1 and 2..with a little more fitness behind me which made life easier. I also have a couple of diet tips for snacking - something Im struggling with big time. I miss my 3pm chocolate!!!

1st workout - Total Body Tone - Take 2 (45 mins)
You may remember from week 2 - I nearly died in a session in the gym. Well this time round, 2 weeks later with no alcohol in my system and eating a lot healthier - it was a LOT easier. It was still very very tough, but I was able to complete more exercises e.g. plank for longer, more full push ups and more burpees. So I'll take the small victories! In another 2 weeks or 2 months - I imagine I will be much fitter and not need to take as many breaks/complete more reps. So when things feel a little easier - push yourself to do more reps and push yourself out of your comfort zone.

2nd workout - Treadmill and weights (45 mins)
For my 2nd workout last week - I did the usual sprint as fast as I could for 1 minute (to about level 14.5) and then rested for 30 seconds. This "level 14.5" is about 2 levels faster than I was at the end of January. Again Im feeling Im getting my fitness back - because I am giving it my all and have a goal in mind. I did this "1 minute on" and "30 seconds off" 10 times. This is not easy at all - but again, knowing that I only need to complete the sprinting for 1 minute makes it a small bit more do-able! So give it a go. But as I said before - be VERY careful stepping on and off a treadmill if its moving and sprinting speed! Sounds silly, but its v tricky when your exhausted after sprints!

After this I moved to the weights section in the gym. This is the section filled with testosterone and usually no girls. Dont fear - they have light weights and heavy weights! For beginners I would suggest start with light dumbells - maybe try 2 x 2kg or 2 x 3 kg to complete a circuit. Once you are finding that easy you can move to heavier dumbells or a kettlebell. As usual - I have a routine of exercises I do - mainly because I try to get in and out of the gym in 45 mins! Get yourself a mat and go mad... Ask the gym instructor to show you some exercises for your arms/shoulders/abs. Below is the circuit I usually do:

8 x Dumbell curls (biceps)
8 x Bench Presses
8 x Upright Rows
8 x Front Raises
8 x Bicep Curls (alternating)
8 x Kneeling One Arm Row

Once that circuit is done...bad news. Two more to go. I recommend super cheesy music for this workout.

On Friday night I went to Dodgeball in Jumpzone in Sandyford with some colleagues from work. Im actually rather chuffed one of the girls in work thought - "oh SJ will definitely be up for this" - Im going to go with her reasoning for this is that I am trying to find new fun ways to get fit... and not the reasoning that she thought it would be great to flake the ball at the consultant at work! Either way - it was absolutely brilliant. Would highly recommend to groups of friends or teams in work for team building.

Two teams (we rented out the court for one hour) - on a number of trampolines, you have to run into middle and grab the soft balls - then throw them at each other. They dont hurt at all -but all of the "dodging" and bouncing on a trampoline for an hour was a serious workout! So not all workouts have to be in the gym/in a class. Something like dodgeball was a nice change! Check it out at www.jumpzone.ie

Finally - I also went back to POWOW (Power Workout of the Week).
This class was not hugely challenging first time round- but as the name suggests - it changes every week. So the 2nd time round was tougher. I came out with Jelly Arms and Jelly Legs! The main workout was working individually - complete 3 squat thrusts with dumbells and then 3 burpees, followed by 6 and 6 then 9 and 9...up to 21. After 21, I was ready to collapse..but I got there. There were about 20 people in the class. Once three people finished finished we all got to finish. Guess who was in the top 3 (well I am quite competitive!). Again - I will take the small victories!

*

*(This is not a selfie - I bloody well wish it was!)

Finally some snacking tips...Im struggling to find healthy snacks between meals. So I have been asking my usual suspects for snacking tips! 2 that I have really liked are Kale Crisps and Baked Almonds

1. Kale Crisps - I bought Kale in Aldi (a whole euro!), to make the Kale Crisps, cut off the stem (I learned this after the occasion), pour a little olive oil and some sea salt and pop in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Once the kale goes a little black and crispy its done! It tastes like very healthy crisps

2. Baked Almonds - similar to the above, I bought flaked almonds in the baking section of the supermarket. Pop a bit of olive oil over them on a baking tray and put in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Yummy snack.

Nearly there...this week I crossed paths with a coach from Functional Training Ireland (based in Dublin 2) and I was raving about my insightful blog (I may have exaggerated just how useful this is!).  I think these guys know a lot more than I do so feel free to check out their Facebook page - it has some really good tips on nutrition and exercises.
Functional Training Ireland Facebook Page

So thats it from me - I really do hope you enjoyed the read...it has been a lot of fun for me to do this. It has certinaly inspired me to get off the sofa, try new classes and eat healthy! So if I have converted you to kettlebells, green tea or 85% cocoa chocolate my job here is done!

Thanks for reading!
SJ x

Dont Stop - Never Give Up!

So its Week 3 of 4! Nearly there! This week was an interesting one...it started off great but I was away in Canada for the latter half of the week. I most certainly undid all of the good workouts whilst over there! But lessons have been learned for sure - its hard to be "good" on holidays - cough cough* - brunch with the McGinley Clan yesterday!

As the title suggests (Ive literally been singing the S Club 7 track in my head all day after thinking of this title)..Dont Stop and Never Give Up. Although the last few days have been not ideal from an exercise and diet perspective - I won't lose the run of myself completely and am going to get straight back into it tonight! So when your feeling tired/run down/jet lagged etc - try keep going. It will be worth it!

Some of my blog readers have provided me with invaluable insights from an exercise perspective as well as diet tips. I really am only learning as I go - and do take advice very seriously! So this blog will go over the excercise I did (and in some cases didnt do!) as well as some tips for how to change your diet to fuel your body which will make you both feel better and look better.

Workout 1 - Kettlebell Challenge (Anaerobic)
Not sure how many of you have tried Kettlebells. Its fun. Its quite daunting - carrying a 16kg kettlebell for an hour - but I actually really liked the class. Its an anaerobic workout - the instructor went through the different types of "swings" as it is really important not to do yourself an injury. Once everyone had the basics the instructor set out a number of circuits for us to complete with the Kettlebell.

Most exercises involved using the Kettlebell - lunges, goblet squats, dead lifts. We had to complete the circuit in as many times as possible in 4 minutes. I quite like being able to work out to my own pace - but you have be psychogically ready - or you will take shortcuts! I gave myself a target of complete 4 circuits and felt very satisfied when I did this within the 4 minutes.
Each circuit ended in burpees. This has to be my most hated move. Although trainers rave about it - here are some of the benefits. Burpees are "an awesome, calorie-torching, strength-building, full body exercise." So get burpee-ing!  Benefits to Burpees

I think it is really important to have a goal in mind. For me - its a particular weight. Then I know what I am aiming towards. To do this - I need to do a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic workouts in the week. KB was my anaerobic - and the workout below is the aerobic one! If you are in gym - ask and instructor to pick out classes for you to go to, or help design a workout to help you achieve your goal. I've started weighing myself in the gym after I workout (I now wear AS LITTLE clothes as possible to make myself as light as possible!). I joke... but do remember, muscle is heavier than fat, so if you find you plateau at a certain weight, dont fret, again get your gym staff to help calculate your body fat which may explain why the scales are not moving!

Workout 2 - Gym Machines - Aerobic/Core - 45 min workout
My next workout last week was in the gym rather than a class - Treadmill, Rower and Core Work This workout required serious tunes to keep you going. Its tough - but I felt really really good after it.

1. Treadmill - go as fast as you can running for 1 minute. Hop off the machine for 30 seconds. Repeat this 10 times. Warning - it can be particularly mortifying falling off a treadmill - so be careful!

2. Rower - Row as fast as you can for one minute, again taking 30 seconds break, Repeat 10 times. In all cases - you can moderate these exercises depending on fitness. Maybe start by repeating 3-4 times if you are only getting back into the gym.

3. Core Work - for final 10 minutes I moved to the floor for some core work, I did the plank - 45 seconds x 5, full pressups x 30, sit ups x 30 and leg extensions x 30.

From a "non gym" perspective- I have been told that what I eat is hugely important in getting the shape I want to be. Nutrition is everything. I have been given tips and tricks to date which I will share now. First and foremost - you need to want to change your diet - and be really strict. If you are not in the right mindset it just wont work.

It requires being prepared - doing a weekly shop, and completing meal plans. Eating the right food - and the right portions to avoid snacking etc. I have found in the last 2 weeks - doing a healthy food shop is quite soul destroying - but I am learning to avoid the contraband aisles now - namely "carbicide aisle" and "crap aisle".

So for 21 days - I am doing "no carbs and no crap" diet. Again - this means changing what I eat at every meal, so for brekkie- where I had porridge before- I will have eggs. Where I had a wrap before - I will just have salad. For dinner - where I had pasta/potatoes - I will just add more veg and cut the carbs.

Sounds ok - no carbs might be ok. The no crap will kill me. I love sweets and treats! I can have one caffeine hit a day (choose wisely). No sweet treat EXCEPT - Green tea (acquired taste I know - I will have to get used to it), and one square of 85% Dark Cocoa Chocolate. The initial cardboardy taste wears off - and its actually quite yummy ( I got the Lindt one).

Also - FoodFlicker is great for nutrition tips -check them out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Foodflicker or on Twitter https://twitter.com/FoodFlicker

Finally - Aimed for the girl readers! Whilst in Canada, I decided I was going to invest in new gym gear. I visited Lulu Lemon and spent a small fortune. But seeing as I am going to be spending most of my non-working life in the gym - I may aswell look the part eh! They do not have a store in Ireland - but you can shop online. Their gym gear is pretty awesome and I really look forward to trying it out! It is expensive - but Ive been told that the Lulu Lemon clothes last a lifetime!

Link to order from Ireland - http://www.eu.lululemon.com/?sl=IE

Thats it from me - I promise Week 4 (the last one!) will be a lot more action packed! As always- questions welcome - and feedback welcome too!

SJ x

Week 2 - Getting Jiggy with It....

                                           

Week 2 of my gymming blog...well it sure has been interesting! Over 600 hits (from about 15 countries) on the 1st post - which I am pretty chuffed about :).
Disclaimer - not promising this will be half as insightful or humourous but I will carry on!

I have received lots of lovely feedback on my first post - some of which included -
1. "I'd like to try a class with you" - which happened in week 2!
2. "Now I know what classes Im NEVER going to  try- thanks for the heads up" - possibly not the aim of the blog, but hey at least she was honest.
And finally
3. "Which gym do you go to - classes sound familiar?" - Well I did refrain from telling you in the 1st post- I live directly above a gym and swimming pool (Swan Leisure in Rathmines). I have absolutely no excuse to literally go downstairs after work and hit the gym.

I cannot say enough good things about the gym. The classes are very reasonable - only 6.50eur and the instructors are just lovely ;) Classes are free if you are member. Now - enough of the plugging of the gym!

Also - I lost SO much weight in week 1. When I was getting my coffee one day last week - the automatic doors to the shop didn't open when I tried to get in*.
*The doors may have been faulty.

This week I tried 2 new classes in the gym and started teaching an Adult Irish Dancing class to shake things up!

Monday: - I signed up for POWOW (Power Workout of the Week) in my gym. 45 minute class straight after work described on the website as "Special technique class with a challenging workout to keep you motivated". It did exactly that. It was certainly different - strenous warm up (they arent getting any easier!) - followed by getting into pairs. Again - pick someone that looks like they may be at your fitness level (I understand this can be hard by just looking at a stranger up and down!). It will help in your workout later. The class basically involved completing an exercise 30 times e.g. kettlebell swings or sit-ups/v-ups, while your partner counts to 30. The exercise part was obviously worthwhile. However the repeated exercise of counting to 30 got old pretty fast. I felt like I was putting the weight back on everytime my partner was exercising!

Overall I really enjoyed the class - it is a different class each week. I was told by the instructor that this particular class was a relatively low intensity one. Not sure why I was disapppointed - it was a nice way to easy myself back into the gym after a weekend off! However I didnt feel completely wrecked after it - so I decided to hit the gym after (dare I say it - I may ACTUALLY be getting my fitness back!).

This brings me to my next point - machines in the gym. I am a bit sceptical how valuable running on a treadmill for 40 mins at a time is. It can be quite hard on your legs to run on a surface that doesnt have much give. One of my favourite machines is the Rowing Machine - I didnt really know how to use it at first - but do not be afraid to ask the instructors in your gym how to use machines. It is really important to get the technique right - that way you will get the most out of the exercise and you will not be damaging and muscles/joints. Thanks to google - Ive rooted out the main benefits of this machine - apparently - its good for weight loss, toning, cardiovascular health and stress reduction. All round great machine. It burns calories rapidly (I do enjoy seeing the calories burned numbers go up!)- about 350 calories for a strong 30 min workout. It is a low impact machine - that works the arms and legs. I will stop harping on - but trust me, its great!

Tip #1 - I usually give myself a target e.g. Row 2,000 metres or row for 10 minutes, and whichever happens first I just stop! It works for me anyway!

Tuesday: Myself and my friend have started teaching an Adult Irish Dancing Class for an hour on Tuesdays. I hadn't danced properly in about two years - so I had a feeling it was going to be a shock to the system. To all my dancing friends out there - there is no fitness like Irish Dancing Fitness! It is serious bursts of energy for about a minute, followed by dying on the side of the dancefloor for the next 5! It was a really fun class - and a great workout indeed! If anyone in Dublin is interested in trying it out just let me know - we can take from beginners to people who danced competitively - we don't discriminate!! My muscles hurt an obscene amount the following day. Which leads me nicely into tip number 2!

Tip #2- I did mention the importance of eating well when you are working out. One thing I have realised (again you will know who you are when your reading this!) - Protein helps muscle recovery. So I try and overload on protein after a workout and in the following means. E.g. Tuna salad or for the non-tuna lovers - Eggs are great too. So maybe have eggs for breakfast the next day.

Here is a good link on Muscle Recovery in General - Muscle Recovery

I have been trying by best to Eat Well - by bringing my lunch into work (Tuna and wholewhat crackers) or salad, eating and snacking healthy. It is in no way as fun and chocolate but - my new favourite snack, carrot sticks and low fat hummous. I can buy the carrot sticks pre-cut in the supermarket - so I have no excuse at all!


Wednesday: Total Body Tone. Now - I have thought long and hard about actually putting pen to paper on this one. I do not want to scare anyone but... It was the worst class I have ever been to in my life. Sounds like I am being a drama queen...but it really was! I had been given a warning by a friend before the class "it is not for the faint hearted". She was right.
                                                      

                                                 

Described on their website as - "This class will focus on toning up every aspect of your body with a combination of using your own body resistance and weights." - seems pretty harmless -sure why not give it a go!

When I say the "worst class" - I mean in a good way. I have never felt so good after a workout. I did think half way through - Im gonna be stretchered out of here..but alas that did not happen thanks be to God. Unfortunately - this was the class that my friend came to with me. She hadn't been gymming in a while, so this was an absolute Baptism of Fire!

The class was all on a yoga mat, 3 exercises e.g Plank, Plank Pull Ups and Press Ups. 30 seconds each, 30 second break. This lovely routine occured over and over for 45 minutes. Obviously the instructor varied the exercises each time. This meant we were continously exercising for about 35 minutes of the 45 minute class. I'm actually feeling sick just thinking back on how tough it was.

However - we did it. It felt great at the time. The next day, joints I didnt realise I had hurt. It was sore to stand up and sore to sit down. It was sore to sneeze, my abs were in shock -they had never been under so much strain! If I was a horse I would have been put down. But I did it - and strangely enough - I will actually go again!

Workout Choon of the Week - There is nothing like working out in the gym to a great tune. This week I would recommend Pitbull and Keshas - Timber. Great little workout tune! - Workout Choon of the Week!

To be perfectly honest with you lot - the rest of the week consisted of dining out Thurs and Fri (undoing all the workouts - but I have to live too!) and NO GYM!. I also indulged in a few drinks - I am drying to enjoy alcohol by thinking about what I drink e.g. Bubbly instead of a glass of wine. Sparkling Wine contains less calories about 80cals a class vs 120 in a glass of Red/White. So no better reason to enjoy a glass of bubbly after a good week working out/rough week at work! I will however try to have more self control in future with regards the weekends indulging!

Next week I am going to take on 2 more classes - and look forward to sharing my experiences!

Feel free to get in touch with any hints or tips you have on gymming :)

SJ x