I am kind of YIKES on the bodyfat CQ. I have a runner friend who was telling me before her half marathon (i was doing the 10k) aout how great it was running with her bf down to 15% as she "felt so light" and her right femur SHATTERED during the race! :yikes: She's got an external cage now and they don't think she''ll ever run again professionally. Basically getting so un-fat (she was thin, but muscular) had dropped her estrogen levels so low she couldn't keep calcium in her bones, she had a few hair-line stress fractures beginning and the downhills in the race just proved too much. Her AF hadn't stopped but it had gotten weird, like light and a bit unpredictable. Please, for me, be careful (and eat a big peanut butter sandwich - healthy AND full of good fats). Also they surely won't let someone with too-low bodyfat win the challenge and you worked your butt off (literally) you deserve to win! Your initial goal of 18% was already lower than i menstruate at! LOL.

A pullbouy is a kind of peanut shape float you tuck between your thighs to keep them afloat while you only use your arms to swim. They're good for the tummy and waistline as you have to keep your legs still by trying to isolate your hips from your pulling motion (usually the kick corrects the pull) and they make you work your arms harder. Catch-up is where you swim front crawl (freestyle) but you pause each stroke so that the hands are together in front of you before you take your next stroke (rather than the arms moving continuously). If you don't kick hard and well you sink during the pause! But it makes you much slower. I like using the kickboard best. I can't swim butterfly but just doing the leg-stroke is sooo hard and good for the back, stomach and thighs You should learn about all this (i'm constantly telling DP this too ) - it's such a good tool for the injured exerciser, the pool.

I did the leg-extension exercises at the end of the routine last night. I think i must have ok ab control as i can keep my back glued down unless i do both legs at once. I do use a sprung resistance device to do my PFE's though, so that probably helps with my transverses. The problem isn't the muscles, it's the fat hanging about on top of them.

I finally got over it and weighed myself. 83kg

I need to lose 8kg. I am aware that for many that is NOTHING, but it's pretty depressing for me. Those 8kg have crept on over 2 years. So i definitely need to act now, or in 3 more years i'll have regained the whole bleeding lot! Even getting to 77kg would be ok - i was breastfeeding and did ZERO resistance training when i last weighed 75kg (don't know what i weighed after weaning because of my scales-aversion) and i don't know if i can maintain that anyway and have decent muscle-mass, but it's my ultimate goal...

Bx