Spring Into Action 12wk Challenge

Weighed in at 75.4kg yesterday, exactly the same as 2 weeks ago when I joined the gym. I remember this part from when I started training last time. It really is frustrationg working hard and not seeing the scales move! I have lost 2cm off my waist and hips though, and am sure I look more toned. I feel soooo much better and am definitely fitter. Managed the boxing class yesterday, which is pretty full on. Had a terrible night with DD last night so didn't manage to get up at 5.30 to get to the gym this morning... will just have to go for a walk or something.

Yay for all the great losses! Poo to all the gains. I actually wish I didn't have digital scales though cause working with values of a couple of hundred grams drives me up the wall. Having a drink or going to the toilet changes weight by that much! Try not to worry about it and hopefully we will all see better numbers next week.

Doubletrouble, yay for getting to the scales moving stage. Hope you see even more move next weigh in. :)

KayTee, babies are soooo inconvenient, aren't they? I don't know why they can't just have more consideration for our fitness goals. :p Hope you have better luck this week now Belley is back to her usual self.

Krysalyss, I really miss soccer now that I don't play, but I feel your pain at being the 'old' one on the team. Hope you can find an indoor team to play on.

Onyx, worrying about your clothes and not the scales is a good attitude. The numbers on the scales can really drive you crazy. You lose weight faster once you have better tone anyway, so yay for muscle. I thought Zumba was quite easy too. Not sure I got my HR up to cardio zone at all, but I quite enjoyed it. I couldn't help but laugh at how silly I fely doing some of the moves. I think on Saturday I will do Zumba then pump and really knock myself out.

Cherished, you are awesome doing up the list, thanks! Glad you are feeling better than on Wednesday.

Berrme that is awesome about the cms loss. And lets face it - those are the measurements we really care about! Thanks also for your comments about soccer. The team I had last year was just so awesome - some of the ladies were in their 50s but still really fit, and noone cared if you weren't good as long as you put in the effort. But I moved and they are three hours away now. I do love indoor though so fingers crossed. :)

Berrme, I was exactly the same when I started going to the gym a few months back. Didn't see any weight loss for a while but did lose cm and could feel my body changing. Now with all the weights and squats I've been doing, I can feel the muscles in my thighs are completely different, they are just still hidden under the fat! That is going to change, my sexy legs will be free!! :lol:

This fluctuating business is really annoying. I weighed myself this morning and was a whole kg less than yesterday!! So hoping the 600gm gain isn't accurate and will have a much better number next week :crossfingers: Going to try really hard to stay off the scales till next week so I don't drive myself crazy.

I hope everyone has a great week! :)

I find it really interesting to see the changes in the body with exercise. Yoga kinda slims and firms. I have been nervous of gym exercises because I have always bulked under the fat and that made me feel worse. Does the bulky go away and replace with good muscle or you gotta lose the fat and get use to bulk?

Doubletrouble, fat and muscle are different things so you aren't actually turning fat into muscle. When you exercise you generally build muscle first which can make you look bigger and weigh more. As you lose fat the muscles become more visible and you will be slimmer. Whether your muscles get big depends on whether you do heavy weight training or not. If you don't want to bulk up then do low weights and high reps, if you want strength and big muscles then heavy weights and lower reps. So I guess the bulky does go away in that you aren't as big after you lose the fat.
It does depend on your body shape too. I have quite an athletic sprinter type shape so really have no chance of super thin legs and bum, so I aim for super toned and strong instead.

You can't ever get really bulky from weights if you are a woman because because you just don't have enough testosterone unless you are quite butch or taking steroids.
Resistance training is awesome, you slim down more because your body metabolises food better, you get toned not scrawny, it strengthens your bones which doesn't matter now but when you hit menopause you will be much less likely to have osteoperosis and it makes you feel stronger so you will act stronger.
Even when I was in my early 20's and I could eat like a horse and not put on a gram I went to the gym to do weights just for the toning effect because I hated looking scrawny.

Pump is low weights and high reps so it will build longer muscles so if you're worried about bulk try that. I also do some heavy weights once a week to get bigger muscles.

I did body balance today. Does anyone else do any kind of yoga/thai chi/stretchy exercise? I know it is good to maintain your flexibility and balance but the vain side of me always thinks it doesn't tone or reduce so it's kind of pointless.

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Resistance training is awesome, you slim down more because your body metabolises food better, you get toned not scrawny, it strengthens your bones which doesn't matter now but when you hit menopause you will be much less likely to have osteoperosis and it makes you feel stronger so you will act stronger.

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Dumb question Onyx, but what are some examples of resistance training? TIA :)

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You can't ever get really bulky from weights if you are a woman because because you just don't have enough testosterone unless you are quite butch or taking steroids.
I did body balance today. Does anyone else do any kind of yoga/thai chi/stretchy exercise? I know it is good to maintain your flexibility and balance but the vain side of me always thinks it doesn't tone or reduce so it's kind of pointless.

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lol, maybe I am a bit butch, cause I reckon I could be one of those freaky muscle comp women if I really wanted too. :lol:

I did body balance for the first time the other week. I am much more of a weights kind of girl too, but I really think it would help build core strength with all the balance and bending etc. I felt super relaxed afterwards too. Maybe I just felt it because it was my first attempt at any gym stuff after having bub? I don't think it will be a regular part of my gym routine but I might do it every so often for something a bit different.

Manhattan, resistance training is just pushing against a resistance, so any weight training or using resistance bands etc.

Anything that involves lifting weight. At home you can do all the old school stuff like tricep dips, push ups and lunges. If you are at a gym you can use their weights machines but I think free weights are better. If you're not sure what to do ask for help because form is really important. When I get home I can link up super abs workout that is on YouTube. YouTube is great for inspiration. I go there when I need some ideas to mix stuff up.
Eta . I think butch can be sexy. Pink is a great example.

I love yoga/body balance! I know what you mean about feeling like its a waste of time if you're actually trying to loose weight or gain muscle, but I just love the way I feel afterwards. Definitely good for core strength and flexibility and I think its good for the body and mind to do something a little less strenuous at times. Doing body balance had made me want to look into doing tai chi. I loved the soft flowy movements, it seems nice for a bit of relaxation and de-stressing. Sorry, getting a bit off the topic of weight loss, but good for health all the same :)

Onyx, do you have a weights partner or you just do it by yourself? I don't really want to start working on heavy free weights again without someone to spot me (and I don't want to pay for a PT). Silly, cause I have never needed to be saved, just a mental thing I guess.

Thanks Onxy and Berrme, that makes sense, and I guess I will be adding to my workout repitoire now to get some toning happening.

I used to do quite a bit of yoga and a pilates variation. I actually think while you don't huff and puff a lot during it that it is one of the best ways to prevent injury in the other activities. Yoga starts here soon and I want to join up for this reason. Especially if you have good core muscles then your body alignment will be better. Coming more from a soccer point of view they are great for building strong legs so you don't get the all-too-frequent ankle and knee injuries.

Perhaps because you dont bulk you dont feel like yoga/pilates etc does anything and it sure takes along time to feel like you see results. But it definatly gives you results. Before I had baby#3 I had a better body after doing yoga for a year then when I was in my 20s and just slim. It shapes you and leaves things toned. I guess a good way to compair it is if you look at the body of a weight lifter then compair it to a karate person, both strong but different kinda strong. I think yoga and tai chi is also alot about focusing energy.

This is a monster abs workout.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buVqd...eature=related
The original version seems to have vanished and this isn't so high definition but it's not like you need a great resolution to see what is going on.

berrme, I don't have a weights partner. I probably should, it would be the responsible thing to do.

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This is a monster abs workout.
Abdominal Exercises for Boxers (part one) - YouTube

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:o Wowzers! I will TRY to so some of these...eventually!

:( DH won't be home until tomorrow. That means I have to skip the gym in the morning. I was planning to do spin and/or pump but now I'll be staying home. I might give the monster abs a try and see how far I get.
I hate it when my gym routine gets messed with - it's so much easier to get out of the habit than to get into it.

What are everyone else's plans for the weekend?

Hoping to get a nice long walk in both days, but the weather in Melbourne is horrible this weekend. Has rained/hailed on and off all day today, so no walk for me :( Hopefully it will be fine enough for an early morning walk with DH and DD. My friend is going to drop an exercise bike off for me too this weekend, so on days like this, and days when I am short for time, I can ride instead.