12WBT Round Two

So 12WBT round one 2013 has come and gone. Amazing how quickly 12 weeks passes by.

After some success last round, I have decided to sign up again to consolidate what I have learned and lose another few kilos.

The dexa scan has really helped with my goals and expectations for my weight/health. According to the dexa I have excellent bone density, good muscle mass, but could do to lose a bit more fat.

This round I really need to tighten up and build some muscle. Last round I did zero weight training. And zero running. So this round, along with the weight loss goal, I want to focus on fitness oriented goals too.

For the 12wbters reading, yes I am little late to the party this round. Tomorrow is week 2(!) weigh in. Unfortunately I have been sick since returning from Thailand (typical, right?!). But I finally feel like I am pulling through and readying smash it

So what are my goals this round? Not in any particular order-

- lose around 5kg
- stick to the nutrition plan
- start lifting
- weekly hot yoga
- run 5km (I reckon I may stretch that to 10km)

And … Go!!!!

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Mt Ainslie and my #12WBT #SSS

Oops where has April disappeared to?  Following Easter I held strong with my 12WBT exercise, especially the Super Saturday Sessions (SSS).  This past weekend however, life got in the way, and I actually missed it!  Now, I don’t think I really missed the ‘during’, but the ‘after’ and the sense of accomplishment!

A couple of weeks ago I did a 13.6km SSS, kinda by accident.  I wasn’t really feeling it, but I thought I would head out with Mr. J and aim for 5km.  Well, when I finally decided to turn back, we had passed the 6.5km mark!  I actually got a little sun burnt, because I did not expect to be out for so long.  Yes, by the end and almost 2 and a half hours later, I was totally over it, but hey it was awesome!  And of course, I wasn’t complaining with the calorie burn:

The following weekend, unfortunately I was feeling the same – just a bit off, and a bit over it.  But what does MB say?  JFDI.  So off we went to Hackett walking tracks, and decided to see where the road took us.

Well,… it took us up Mt Ainslie – a first for me

A pretty easy walk, other than the elevation!

Isn’t it pretty?   Haha…
According to Runkeeper, it was a personal best for elevation -

Teehee!

 

Mt Ainslie – definitely recommended.  Get out there and feel the burn and check out the lovely views

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12WBT Review – 8 weeks down, 4 weeks to go

I have been pretty quiet on the 12WBT front, particulay on the forums. Perhaps it just isn’t my style – I have been sharing on twitter and Instagram, but I find the forums pretty overwhelming; so many posts! It is fantastic though, to see how well people are doing; showing how successful the program really is.

The weight is coming off super slowly, and so I am trying to divert my attention away from the numbers. I can easily become too concerned with the numbers, and then quickly disheartened when I don’t see big losses on the scale (like others do).

20cm lost is no small feat, and I should be happy with my results this far. Of course, everyone is different, and I need to remember that this is for me, and for my health. Slow, doesn’t mean that I won’t get there.

But the next question is, what does “there” actually mean? At this stage, I am not sure what my goal should be. And indeed, what my goal for next round should be (Yep, I will be signing up for Round 2, 2013!). I am in the healthy weight range (but it is a large range!), I exercise regularly, I am learning how to consistently eat well (minus a few hiccups), so what now?

Enter, the DEXA Scan. Apparently the dexa scan is the most accurate measure of body fat. It also gives information about bone density, abdominal fat, resting metabolic rate, ideal weight, and calorie intake.

I have booked into Measure Up as they are coming to Canberra at the end of April. I am excited(!) With the above results and recommendations there should be little guesswork about what I should be aiming for.

So this post is less of a review, more of a – What now? And hopefully this will be clearer to me at the end of the 12weeks. For now, or for the next month, I am going to focus on consistency with both nutrition and exercise, hopefully lose a little more weight, and just keep keeping on

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12WBT: Keeping on keeping on

So it is week three of 12WBT, and I have a few confessions to make.

1. I do really well typically Monday through Thursday and then the weekend hits.
2. ‘Life gets in the way’ and I either eat too much, or exercise too little over said weekends.
= Which results in me hoping and doing too much exercise and eating too little Monday and Tuesday in an attempt to compensate for the next weigh in on Wednesday.

I am off to Sydney *again* this weekend and I’m going to stop this trend! I have booked a hotel with a gym so no excuses for the upcoming SSS. And I am determined to make better food choices.

I am scared of looking back at these 12 weeks and wishing that I had done more. 9 weeks to go, gotta keep pushing on!

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12WBT Week One

Officially three days in to the program and … 1.5kg down.  First weigh in today, and I sucked it up and took the ‘before’ photos.

As I was a little late to the party and missed out on the pre-program, I have been working on my pre-season tasks.  Glad to say that I am done, and ready to dedicate all my focus to the nutrition and exercise plans.  First weigh in today, and I sucked it up and took the ‘before’ photos.  Yesterday I did the fitness test and measurements – I have to say I was surprised at my results, I thought I would do better.  I was pretty sore from Samba the night before, so the wall sit was agony, but I pushed through the 2 min mark.  The run was the hardest; if it wasn’t for the run I would have made it into the advanced, but hey, better to be honest.

Other thoughts >>- I love that the program works around the exercise I already have locked in. e.g. Zumba and Samba are my two cardio days, bikram is my core day – So I just need to do the two toning days and figure out my super Saturday sessions.  I have no access to the gym, so I love that she offers at home vids, and outdoor sessions.

- I have not made many recipes yet, but looking at them – YUM.  I will be altering them to gluten-free, and I have still been fitting in my green monster smoothies, which kinda works as a snack under the program.

- Today was a hard day craving-wise, I think I probably was over my calories, but, I said no to sugar… opting for healthier options.

- Surprisingly I am only burning 380 calories at Samba and 440 calories at Zumba.  There is a fair amount of core work at Samba, which I guess explains for the lower burn.  I am not sure what to do to hit the 500 calorie burn for those days though.  Maybe a walk would suffice?

Noting that it is Valentine’s Day tomorrow, I have yet to figure out how to eat out on the program.  Obviously I will make sensible choices where I can, but I think I will have to work extra hard to compensate.

 

On that note for tomorrow – Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy National Condom Day!!

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12WBT – 12 Week Body Transformation by Michelle Bridges

Just a quick one, I am super busy doing the pre-season tasks for 12WBT.  Round One starts tomorrow.  I am a bit late to the party, but when I decided to bite the bullet, I didn’t want to wait until Round Two(!)

I have been thinking about giving 12WBT a go for a while, and when I met a friend for coffee today, I was convinced.  I have not seen her for a couple of months, and her transformation is simply fabulous.

So here goes, I look forward to blogging my way toward success! 

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January 2013 Fitness in Review

This month just flew by.  I held really strong on the fitness front, slacking a little toward the end of the month.   Same with healthy eats, really good for a couple of weeks, but then almost to the point of giving up.

Fitness-wise, the initial goal was c25k.  This dropped off as the month progressed, and I started becoming more interested in Bikram (hot) yoga.  I also started a new dance class – Samba Fitness.  This was a great new challenge – amazing the difference between the difficulty in Zumba and Samba – I’m pretty used to Zumba now, and feels like a breeze (well, sorta!).  Just goes to show that you have do different activities, to keep challenging the body.

Nutrition-wise I felt like I was doing pretty much 99% clean, e.g. paleo, no sugar, but seeing no real result on the scale.  And when you look at my activity, seems pretty unrealistic that I would not see a change in weight/body fat.  I think this is why I started to fall off the wagon toward the end of the month, both with healthy eats and exercise.  After seeing a dietician, I have been told to just keep recording my daily eats, focus on consistency and keeping active, while not going too hard (this is where the giving up usually happens).

The good news is that I am loving green monster smoothies, and packing more and more spinach in each one(!)  Sounds crazy, but I am starting to like the taste without needing bananas, berries, or any fruit.

So… on to February then(!)  After a few days off exercise and taking it a bit easy on the diet, I am looking forward to getting back to it.

 

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Heatwave

This heat wave is interfering with my new year exercise regime.

7 days no sugar.
7 days no gluten.
7 days paleo.

C25k week 2 complete (skipped wk 1).

700g down.

I want more. I am ready for more.

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Zumba

Zumba is the only thing that I have managed to keep up consistently over the last couple of weeks.  I think this is partly because of the monetary commitment    but also because I have a Zumba buddy 

I was proud last night though – because I went on my own!  My friend wasn’t well (get better soon!), but I still made myself go(!!!)

Check out those steps and calorie burn! …  It would be more if I didn’t have such a sedentary job, but I will take what I can get.
And the good news is that with some dietary changes I have dropped some weight, perhaps just fluid retention, but I am on my way.

After speaking to a coworker who got married in March, she shared some of her approaches to preparing for ‘the dress’.  A lot of people seem to look down on the whole ‘fit for the wedding dress’ thing, and staying who you are… BUT it was nice to chat with someone like-minded…  Hopefully it will give me the motivation boost I need

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May Fitness Goals

Three days into May, and I am going strong     Pushups and core/abs on Tuesday – tick!  Zumba last night – tick!  I am sore today, which is great, and the scales are a little lower too, which is always nice 

So here is my exercise/fitness plan for May >>

Of course, in the initial weeks I do not expect to manage double workouts, or even daily workouts.  It is going to take time to build up the intensity again.  But the count down is really on: 134 days until the wedding, and just a couple more until our honeymoon(!)  And quite a few less than that until dress fittings…

So the very minimum exercise routine >>
Weekly zumba – 75 mins of cardio: paid for, so less excuses!
Cardio – c25k or slow moving
Strength – p90x weights & abs

But most important, nutrition.  I want to get back to paleo, and as much as possible, restrict dining out to once a week.  Of course, this won’t always be the case, but where possible, it is a must. I haven’t got back to wearing my BodyMedia, but come Monday – it will be charged and ready to go    I love that it is almost winter and it will be tucked away under my long sleeved tops.

Less calories in, more calories out = fat loss and toning.

 

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