Monday, April 12, 2010

Back to basics

Managed the 30 min (more like 45) weights session:

5 mins rower warm-up
biceps (free, 6kg each side) 3 x 12
triceps (cable, 15kg), 3 x 11
shoulder press (free, 4kg each side) 3 x 12
pulldown (machine, 35kg) 3 x 11
one arm row (free, 9kg, one side at a time) 3 x 12
side lifts (free, 3kg each side) 3 x 11
abs, 40 upper, 20 each side, 20 lower.

Then ran with beginners tonight to help out. 3 x 15 mins at probably 12 min miles, plus about 20 mins walking in total. It was a pleasant change to chat to some new people, they were a lovely bunch and are doing well.

Plans for a tricky week

Off to a conference in London for a couple of nights, so more running and less gym/swim this week. Let's try not to forget anything this time....

Mon: lunchtime gym session (weights only, 30 mins), run with the club in the evening (~40 mins).
Tue: aerobics
Weds: nothing (travelling early).
Thurs, Fri: 40-50 min morning run in Regent's Park - looking forward to that!
Sat: morning run, 1:15-1:30?
Sun: sort my road bike out with its new tyres and a general once-over, and get out for a test ride.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Bit of a theme here

Yesterday:
Out with Lizzie for an early morning (for me! 8am...) run. Found I'd left my trainers (with orthotics) at work. D'oh AGAIN. Got to get it together... Still, I went out in an old pair figuring one run wouldn't hurt (it didn't).

We went on an old favourite route, the monument loop. Just a squeak over 10 min miling but a glorious day to be out. Skylarks singing, sun shining, just enough breeze to be refreshing - perfect. Great way to start the weekend. And I even managed to bike to the city and the greengrocer's afterwards!

Today:
Early start for the Diss duathlon. All went well, including the cake stall which I helped with (temptation resisted) and baked for. After that we went for a walk with Jenna and Simon, 5.6 miles from Tyrrel's wood. Another lovely day, bit of a chilly nor-easter blowing but with the sun out who cares? Lots of little planes buzzing around from the various airfields, all kinds of birds singing in the hedges, and an interesting church to investigate at Shelton. Shame the farm shop shut up just before we got there for a post-wallk tea :(

Friday, April 9, 2010

Work it...

Down to the gym at lunchtime. I seem to be going through a phase of "what can I forget today?" - this time it was trainers. The new ones were at home, thankfully the old ones were still in the office. Sadly I didn't realise until I had got changed, so had to nip back (in gym gear!) to get them. D'oh. The other week it was my top - thankfully I was going straight home so just worked out in my normal t-shirt... only to find my gym top hanging up in the changing rooms when I got back. Must have fallen on the floor. D'oh again.

Anyway.

Today's workout - pretty good.
  • 10:09 for 2500m on the rower, with pretty even 500m splits. Target there is sub-10. I need to remember to dig out my gloves, though. Sweaty hands - yuk.
  • 2 x 10 minute interval sessions on the stepper, one short and sharp and one a more gradual variation. Managed the first at level 8 of 12, dropped the second to 7. Target there is both @ level 8.
  • No time for a whole load of weights and core, but managed biceps (free, 6kg each side, 3 x 12), triceps (pulldown, 15kg total, 2 x 8; 10kg total, 1 x 12), shoulder press (free, 4kg each side, 2 x 12, 1 x 8, 1 x 4), abs (straight upper x 60, L/R side x 20 each, straight lower x 20).
I'm still not bored of my gym playlist either. Here's what was keeping me going today (good song, if a tad cheesy-80s, but an awful video)...

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Operation Butt Kick

Okay - it's time to stop faffing about and get serious. When I'm avoiding going out on the bike because I look like michelin woman in my bike gear, and not signing up for events because I feel too unfit, something needs to be done! Operation Butt Kick cropped up last week on Weight Loss Resources, and as I have a whole lot of butt that really needs kicking (preferably kicking off), I'm in.

It doesn't involve any rocket surgery, that's for sure. It's right back to basics - tracking what I eat and getting regular exercise, and also trying to "eat clean" (no processed junk) and not obsess over the scales. From April 1st to June 1st (and beyond - I'll be off to France with my bike on the 12th), that's two months of just doing the right thing. I reckon I'm 90% of the way there on the clean eating, and although I tend to weigh in daily, I've always looked at the scales with a scientific eye and an "yeah, right" rather than letting the numbers rule my life. As for the rest of it, I've done it before and so I can damn well do it again. If I can really focus on it for 2 months then I reckon I will be back in the groove and keep it going.

So, given it was the extended Easter weekend, how did I do so far? Pretty well, I think - one curry, one social gathering where I ate pretty cleanly (just quite a bit of it...), and a few pints (*cough*). But, on the other side of the scales, a couple of good runs and a day's hard graft digging holes. I've got through my days at work drinking plenty of water and not sneaking off to the shop for chocolate... It adds up to a pound down over the week, but more importantly a whole lot of positive mental energy, something I haven't had for a while.

It's probably not the easiest month coming up, with a conference and a couple of other trips away to come (long train journeys and catered food are never the greatest combination), but that's no excuse. Let the positive energy flow...

And let the plans flow, because if I say it then I've got to do it!

Plan for the rest of this week:
Today: run 45 mins - done, listening to Two Fit Chicks' latest offering and some uplifting tracks
Tomorrow: gym: 30 mins cardio + strength (upper body/core)
Saturday: run 1hr
Sunday: 4-5 mile social walk

Longer term plans:
So, butt - prepare for a damn good kicking...