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
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