Exercise routines, tips and chatter?

Aww crap Hoobs :( Can you arrange for DP to stay over the night before the classes?? I swear the person who starts to do outside exercise classes with some kind of childcare involved is going to make a lot of money! My trainer is doing a Boot Camp - full on army-style training with nets and carrying people on stretchers and stuff and it's early in the morning and no cc so I can't do it. You're right, being a single parent really does suck...sometimes :rolleyes:

Glad you liked the new Pump, i've still only done one Pump in 6 weeks because of the challenge (and secretly i'm not missing it :shhh:). Those fleecy things for DD's toes sound reeeally cosy, I know how cold it gets up there in Scotland!

Ruth - I am so going to get you to join my gym :cheer: I don't know much (ok, anything) about IVF so are you not allowed to lie on your front before you get pregnant? Or could you be already???

I'm now half way through the Challenge and getting really into it! I'm starting to worry a bit about what happens when it's all over...how will I find the motivation and self control to maintain??? I don't know if I said before but the QLD winner gets as one of the prizes a full scholorship to Fitlink which is a college that teaches my Fitness course. I have nearly finished the first one but to become a PT I have to do the second one as well and I really can't afford it, so to win the comp would be incredible for me. Theres lots of people doing it though so i'm not holding my breath. But I know I can say with my hand on my herat I have not cheated once. I have had 1.5 vodkas with soda and thats it. No choccie, nothing i'm not allowed so I can still be proud of myself :lol:

DP already stays over midweek but he has to leave for work before i'd be able to get back. It'd be with DD or not at all... :( We're meant to be buying a house this winter (assuming all OUR banks don't go bankrupt and stop lending...) but he'll still have to go to work so it won't make that much difference. TBH i NEVER see anyone else running with a jogger so probably i'm just now worth them adjusting the course for, IYKWIM. It's a bummer though. I see all the out-of-shape, smoking mums at toddler group and i think "no wonder" it is so much harder to do ANYTHING when you're a mum, especially when you're on your own a lot.

I would imagine Ruth can't lie on her front because during IVF they stimulate your ovaries to produce lots of eggs in one cycle so they can take them out, fertilise them to make embies, and then put them back one or two (depends on Ob) at a time to hopefully get a pregnancy going. Right before egg pick up the ovaries can be swollen two or three times their normal size with all the ready-to-pop eggs and very tender, and some unlucky ladies get OHSS (ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome) which is where the ovaries get too large and over-active and produce a lot of fluid which makes the abdomen very swollen and sore. I get mittelschmerz (middle pain - ovulation pain basically) most months and based on DD i only ovulate one egg at a time, i can't imagine how uncomfy having 10-20 each side would be!

I hope you win the challenge CQ - how do they decide the winner? If i were you i WOULDN'T TRY to maintain afterwards! I'd take the opportunity to switch it all up, change what i was doing with the gym and all, and do the challenge next year too. I run road races a couple of times a year, but i don't stay race-fit year round. If i could head out and do a race any day it'd get very boring! LOL

Bx

They break up how it is decided. 40 points for an essay you have to write, 25 points for before and after pictures, 15 points for you measurements and 20 points for attending all the seminars.

Sooo, it's really all down to the essay I think. It's supposed to be about what you have gained from the challenge and how your life has changed, things you have overcome etc...I think i've got a lot to put down what with the struggle at the beginning to overcome past demons and with DH and I seperating. I've also attended all the seminars so there's no reason why I shouldn't be a contender!!!

I don't want to keep going as hard as I am now (can't wait to drop at least one Cardio session!) but I don't want to go backwards. There is still so much I want to do esp in my upper body. When I do Bicep curls i'm starting to see the little veins which is awesome! I really want to get more defined in my upper body.

It is quite addictive though so I am mindful of the fact that I tend to take things to the extreme sometimes lol!

Well I got my wish :rolleyes: I went to my PT session on Thursday and the first thing he said to me was "I want you to drop your Cardio sessions to one a week" when I asked him why he said i'd lost too much weight. Then he started going on about how I was doing too much Cardio and obviously not eating enough and I thought hang on a minute i'm doing EXACTLY what he has told me to do. I have two timetables/plans on my fridge - one for exercise and one for food. I don't think, I just do whatever they/he says so it's not my fault! But just because a few people have been in his ear that i've lost too much weight he starts freaking out. I'm happy to drop a Cardio session but sheesh, he was going on at me like i'd done something wrong :( Ok, rant over!

He said now I have to have another day of complete rest (although I did do Attack :redface: )so instead of using the energy I consume to replace Glucose stores my body will be using it to repair my muscle harder and faster so I will be more ripped :dance: Woohoo I can't wait and i'm already seeing it in my stomach, I WILL have a six pack before summer lol!

Hoobs - it's exciting about you buying a house with DP - wow!

Ruth - I never knew how much having IVF affected you even before you get pregnant, good luck with everything :goodluck:

How is everyone else??? Is there even anyone else out there still! C'mon come back and say Hi :hooray:

Well, at least you get your wish CQ! As i'm sure you know, one of the after-effects of anorexia is that those around you are always going to be worried about your weight and such. Believe it or not my instructor, an incredibly fit and healthy woman, and an elite runner, has monthly blind weigh-ins year round and can be dropped from training without warning. She nearly died of heart failure during her anorexic illness, and her coach's view is that he cannot trust her judgement on health without supervision, so he supervises. Your trainer is just worried about you. You wrote your goals at the start, one of them being to get to 18% bodyfat, and you hit that target less than halfway through - that's dramatic. From his POV he has to be concerned about your health FIRST. It's possible your plan has room for cheating because almost everyone does, and thus if you don't you will lose faster, kwim? DP's got his personal training cert and he says you always over-prescribe to allow room for lack of dedication. LOL.

I got my run in today (by running to the supermarket and then home again with my shopping in a gym bag - my toothpaste box got bashed, but why is toothpaste in a box anyway!?) which means this week is officially my first back on the wagon! :D I'm not promising a full-on mojo return, but it's a start. I'm planning a step session tomorrow as i'm feeling podgy (been eating too much, plain and simple!).

Help me out CQ - how can i lose about 6kg without having to weigh myself...? Could i use a tape measure? Would i be able to see a difference on the tape week to week say?

Bx

Yes! Don't weigh yourself, esp if you are changing your body shape. Say if you are adding resistance training then your weight may well go up so it's really not a good indicator. Measurements are great although i've only been going from measurements during the challenge so I don't have any experience of using them long term. I think as long as you do it in the right place, I can tell you where but your DP will prob know, and it's done by the same person everytime then you should see changes :) Does your DP have calipers? If he does you can do your body fat % although it's pretty horrible having someone pinch, poke and grap you (unless you're into that kind of thing ;) ) and then write down how much fat you have!
Do you want me to do you a plan? If you do PM me your details age, weight, height etc and when you can train and the sort of weights you're already doing. It's not going to be really accurate as I can't see you lol but I can give you a basic idea :)

Thanks for the above, I know he's just doing it for me but I also feel he wouldn't be too bothered about it if he didn't have all these negative women (and dare I say jealous?) who aren't doing the challenge and want to ruin it for those who are, who are in his ear telling him and everyone else how much weight some of us are losing. But I guessthere are always people like that around, esp in a gym environment, most people are pretty self-absorbed!

He did say that everyones bodies are different and the results you see from 2 people doing the same workout can be different depending on the person. I obviously have a body that adapts well to change and quite quickly too.

Well done for getting your mojo back (shame about the toothpaste!)! Is the Step class freestyle or Les Mills? I love Body Step but I did some freestyle Step classes while I was in England and omg they were so hard lol!

HAve fun, let us know how you go! Had my first night without the kids last night (they all went to their Dads) so i'm feeling well rested and off to do Combat and weights, see ya!

HEY!

I didn't PM, i'll post my stats out here, i don't care. LOL.

Here's my story so you have background - get a cuppa it's probably gonna be giant.

My main problem is that i overate to get overweight at about 18-19, then stayed overweight no matter WHAT i did for about 6 years, then got PG, gained 3-4kg all up during the pregnancy (6kg gained between 11 and 41+4, but was 95kg at 11weeks and more like 98kg before i got PG), lost all the gain on the day of her birth, and another 18kg in the following 5 months. I didn't diet. I exercised but not for weightloss, for stress relief. The weight just came off. The only 2 times in my life i've "tried" and successfully lost weight were a) when i was 15 i only ate fruit for lunch (normal breakfast and dinner) for 2 weeks, lost about 4kg, & b) when i was 20 i spent 3 weeks eating 600 calories a day and swimming a mile a day and lost about 12kg, all of which AND MORE went back on when i began eating normally again. I wouldn't call it an eating disorder because it was very conscious, and when i decided to stop i just stopped, there was no internal effort or struggle. I did it very consciously to lose weight no matter the cost. Though the loss was extreme i got down to about 87kg, so not tiny by any means (i'm 181cm).

I grew up in a house with 2 women, my mum and my sister. My mum had been very lean in her youth but was a little overweight (about the same size as me) after her kids. She was VERY anti-fat (only for girls, for men she would buy them the special food they liked and talk about "the lions share" at mealtimes etc.). By the time i was 10 i knew how many calories were in SO many things. I remember being 11 and growing over 3 inches in 9 months. I got stretchmarks on my inner thighs (running around, from lengthening, not up and down from weightgain) and my mum told me to "eat less" and "think about what goes in your mouth". She approved when i went on my fruit-only diet at 15 and went on and on about my weight. My sister has been obese all my life, morbidly so for the last 15 or so years. My mum had her on every diet you can think of. She's 16 years older than me, so i never saw any of it, but i know when she was 8 my sister was only allowed mixed veg for every meal for 3 months. She lost nothing. By the time she was in her mid 20's she was dx with PCOS and Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. By then it was too late - she's been on so many diets, her metabolism is completely wrecked. She was once in hospital on an NGT and GAINED weight on 1000 calories a day. They have refused her gastric banding because her weight makes it too dangerous. So there was always this weird inner-and-outer extremism around food when i was growing up, tensions about it all, you know? I don't want that for DD.

After i weaned DD i was about 77kg i would say, between 76kg and 78kg depending on the time of day/month. As i said, i'm 181cm. I've got a really curvy frame, and i was pretty happy - i'd like to be about 74-75kg i guess. That's still in this size clothing but with room to move in it and not too skinny. I am tall and i don't WANT to lose my curves. The lightest i've been at this height was 64kg when i was 16 and my period stopped!

But slowly slowly the weigh is creeping back. I would guess i'm about 82kg (ish) now. I'm not willing to weigh myself because i know i CAN get worried about the number, and i know that i gained about 1.5-2kg within 3months of starting bodypump. DP felt my tensed quad last night and said "wow!" (and you should SEE his thighs!) so i definitely don't want to lose muscle just to lose weight.

Anyway, i basically lost the routine with exercise, until some weeks i was doing maybe 1 short run and one pump class, and i've been eating WAY too much, like chocolate/cakes/biscuits/something like that EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I do think that the "weight" i've put on (i can objectively see my tummy and hips and upper thighs are bigger, though i'm still able to wear my normal clothes - i have ONE pair of jeans and ONE pair of trousers which were the smaller end of the size which i now never wear - i can get into them but they're not comfy) has come on over the last year, not suddenly, i'm just seeing it suddenly because i've been out of the exercise routine on and off. Every now and then i try on those clothes and feel demoralised that they still feel uncomfy.

Do you know what though? I don't BELIEVE i can lose weight. I don't BELIEVE i can lose through effort. I know in my head this is a fairly silly belief, that all my struggles with weight in the past were due to my thyroid issue (back then it was undiagnosed) but somehow i find it really hard to convince myself that i could actually take charge of this. I've watched my sister struggle for her WHOLE lofe with her weight only to regain more and more...

I have a plan though. My plan is to focus on health and not size or weight. The joke is that when i weighed 98kg i would have done almost ANYTHING to be 82kg...now i want to be 75kg or at least the size i was at 75kg...

So, my mojo isn't back but my determination is. Today i ran 7.7km with the jogger. It took FOREVER (54minutes) partly because i'm not that fit just now, and partly because the jogger is big and i was running into a 30mph headwind most of the way. I have also drawn myself up a fruit and veg challenge - 9 portions/day. I've done this before and i find it a great focus because instead of restricting myself i'm adding food - i naturally eat less junk because i'm so full the whole time. Today i managed 11 portions. 5 veg, 6 fruit. Let's hope i can keep it up!

So, some resistance workouts would be very welcome. But, there are serious restrictions! LOL. All i have by way of equipment at home is a step (cheapo but fine for my own homemade step routines - i can't get to any more classes or the gym, there's no creche and XP and DP work when i could be going - step is a bit too small to double as a bench though), 2 dumbell-length bars and eight 2kg plates. It's possible to load up to 4 plates on each bar, quick changes are impossible because they're really old-fashioned (left here by previous tenant) and you have to loosen the clamps with pliers.... I'd really like some sort of whole-body strength routine for the house. I can only get to pump once a week and though i do squats and lunges during my step routines (i went to an online place that had an alphabet of step moves and built myself a few routines from them) and chuck some crunches, leg raises and press-ups in afterwards, i never feel like i'm doing much in that direction in between. I never really know what to "do" you know? I don't have a routine and i don't know how to make one up really.

There, this has been mammoth!

Bx

Just wanted to pop my head in and say that I will get back to you on the weekend. I've got the second workshop for my course tomorrow and i've got some assignments to do this evening so I will get back to you soon, and be even more knowledgable!!!

Ok I'm back!

Right i'm going to assume that you can work out 5 times a week. If you can do more or it has to be less then let me know. You need to be doing resistance training at least 2-3 times a week (so we're going to make you do it 3 times ;) ) and cardio at least 200 - 300 minutes a week. Lets aim for 250. It's up to you how you break that down, if you want to do 4 x 1 hour runs then cool. If you want to do less runs and a few step sessions - cool. As long as when you are doing your own step sessions you are working hard enough. By hard enough I mean 50-85% of your Predicted Maximal Heart Rate (PMHR) how old are you and do you know your resting heart rate? If not just let me know how old you are and i'll work out your PMHR. Till then use the RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) scale. Think of how you feel on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being nothing at all, 5 being strong and 10 being very strong - maximal. You want to be working between 5-8.5.

It sounds like a lot of cardio but remember the initial loss is known as the "conditioning phase" and once ideal weight is achieved then maintenance is a lot easier. You can break up the cardio however you want to as long as you're using your major muscle groups (more KJ's burned). When you're doing your runs try and introduce some interval training elements to it (heart rate peaks and drops down ((slightly)) at regular intervale) some good ways to do this outside is by picking power poles and sprinting between one or two and then joggin between the next two. Or by using stairs or hills.

K so thats the cardio. Now for the resistance training. I'm assuming that you will be by yourself so here we go...

Start with a warm up, maybe on the step - just 5 mins to get your hr up a little and your muscles warm - don't forget to include your arms. Then start with the larger muscle groups and end with back and abs. I'm going to to program you somewhere between Hypertrophy (bigger muscle) and muscular endurance (help with Pump). This means that for all exercises you should be lifting a weight that is about 75% of your 1RM (one repition maximum - the heaviest weight you could possible lift, only once for that particular muscle). I can't work that out for you without seeing you but your DP prob can even if you can only make use of the weights that you have.

I'm also going to "super set" you. That means instead of doing a set then waiting and doing the next set we are going to put 2 exercises together and smash them! No, you do a set of one exercises then straight on to a set of the next ones, then rest. This saves time and makes you feel like you're working harder :dance: So for example one set of squats followed by one set of lunges. Then 2nd set of squats/2nd set of lunges...make sense?

You should rest for 30 secs inbetween each superset. And the tempo you do the exercises should be 2/2.


Please get your DP to look over this first as I really shouldn't be giving you a program without seeing you!

Legs
1. Weighted squats - 3 sets of 15 reps
1. Lunges - 3 sets of 15 reps (up to you to use weights or the bench if you want :p)
(So for this you do 1st set squats-1st set lunge right leg-1st set lunge left leg. Then 2nd set squat-2nd set lunge right leg-2nd set lunge left leg)

Chest
2. Barbell pullovers - 3 sets of 15 reps
(lie on somewhere that has space behind you, maybe accross the bed with your head at the end. With arms extended hold barbell in overhand grip, hands shoulder width apart. Inhale lowering the barbell behind the head bending slightly at the elbows ((not bent like a tricep ext)). Exhale and return to initial position.)
2. Pushups - 3 sets of 15 reps - I WANT TOES!!!

Shoulders
3. Seated front press - 3 sets of 15 reps
(Sit with back straight and hold bar with an overhand grip resting on chest. Inhale and extend the bar vertically, exhale an return to starting position)
3. Barbell front raises - 3 sets of 15 reps
(Stand with legs slightly apart and back straight inhale and raise the barbell with arms extended to eye level, exhale and return)

Back
4. Bent rows - 3 sets of 15 reps
(you know these from Pump. They're just 15's not triples or singles!)
4.Upright row - 3 sets of 15
(you know these from Pump too - let me know if you're not sure)

Arms
5. Bicep Curls - 3 sets of 15
5. Tricep dips - 3 sets of 15
(Do them off your sofa or something else that feels like the right level. Knees bent or straight legs for harder. Hardest - put one foot on top of the other in straight leg position?

Abs - If you've been bracing your abs properly the who session you shouldn't need to do abs but if you are so inclined :p

6. Crunches 3 sets fo 15
(make sure your knees are up at 45 * angle, this dissengages (sp?) your hip flexors)
6. Side plank - each side for 45 secs, only once per side cause i'm pretty sure you're now knackered! (longer if you can or less if you have to).

Ok, reading back this is quite a lot so if you want to only do one exercise per body part! If you can then go smash it!!!! And don't forget to stretch - stretch is so important and often gets overlooked. Stretch each body part for 30-45 secs at a level of slight discomfort but not pain.


Some things to remember - 1. Never lock your joints out in the middle of a movement. You can straighten your limb but don't lock out the joints. 2. Shoulders back and down (you know this from Pump). 3. Neutral spine. 4. Chin in. 5. Brace the abs and back (by doing this you turn on your TA ((transverse abdominals)) which do not get worked enough and cause that fat band under your belly!).


Ok, now i'm knackered! It's so much harder to program for home using only a barbell then it is in the gym with all the equipment!

Let me know how you go...Good luck! :)

PS Just thought I should add that 6 portions of fruit is waaaay too much! I know that the sugar found in fruit is natural but it's still sugar and a lot of it! My dietician told me about a lady who developed diabetes and the only treats she had were fruit :( You shouldn't really have more than 2-3 servings of fruit per day.

Also on nutrition, you said you eat lots of cakes, biscuits and stuff. You'll definatly see the best results if you combine the exercise plan with healthy eating :)

Oh dear. Hopefully you found the writing of that to be a useful exercise, because i'm afraid i am NOT going to be a good subject!

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You need to be doing resistance training at least 2-3 times a week (so we're going to make you do it 3 times ) and cardio at least 200 - 300 minutes a week. Lets aim for 250.

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That's not 5 times a week hun, it's SEVEN! I can work out 4 times a week (total, not cardio-only), maybe 5 if i push for it, but there's no way my legs/feet will take that much high-impact cardio, or my lifestyle medium-impact, and the pool (no impact of course) is only an option for 1 session/week, and only during 3 weeks of every 8 week period (don't ask, crazy childcare issues). Currently that takes the form of 1 bodypump class and 3 50ish-minute runs. This week i also had a small (1100m) swim, because i could, but i cannot again until late November.

I'm afraid DP is not your greatest ally - he pinched the chub of my love-handle and murmured "You're *perfect* into my ear and then, well i'd need to hop over to AO to share the "and then" ;)

Right this second i'm nursing plantar faciitis of my left sole, and i've no idea where it came from, because it came on on my 3rd day off running. I'm a bit scared it's systemic (shonky immune system, eats bits of ME as if they were diseases) as i was once pretty much disabled by achilles tendonitis for 2 months in Uni due to this, and i had an episode of PF in my right foot basically all summer, but i have it at the ball not the heel on that side - the heel is definitely worse! Will have to wait and see. It does feel better after a day of rest, but if i have to stay in the house tomorrow i'm going to murder DD so it will need to heal on the run or not at all...

As soon as i'm back up to strength i'm going to try adding 2 of your muscle group workouts onto the end of each run and see how i go. I kind of wish i had time to do all you're suggesting, but equally i think i'd be sick of the sight of my running shoes and weights within 3 days if i did (it really looks like A. LOT. to me! Lol, maybe i'm naiive!).

Some bits i didn't put in which DP tells me are very relevant (and the reason he always declines to suggest more activity for me when i ask him to): I don't have a car, i walk about 38-40km (wow, never added it up like that before!) a week, about 24 of those with (15kg) DD in the meitai on my back, about 8 of THOSE with an additional 5-9kg of shopping as well. Of the other 16km i probably push DD in the stroller about 10km and the other 6km i'm (blissfully!) alone :) My running distances (about 20-25km/week) are additional. He also told me to tell you about my (embarrassing) games with DD, like when i sit on the kitchen worktop and she sits on my feet and i do leg-extensions...or when i lie on my back and lift her straight up and down and count "ONE baby girl" (kiss nose) "TWO baby girls" (kiss nose again) "THREE...." and so on. He basically thinks i do plenty and am healthy and this is how i look, and reading back my messed up mess above i'm wondering if he's right.

Re: diet... The cakes and biscuits are generally contained to 1-2 days a week, but recently things have been sliding out of control - hence the fruit and veg kick. I actually KNOW i feel better without the processed and fake sugars of that stuff, but the weather turns chilly, or i have a period of stress (DD has been quite difficult the last 2 weeks or so) and i reach for the sugar/carbs. I think i'm back on track with that - i just had a weekend with chocolate, cake and biscuits around (it WAS my birthday!) and i didn't care either way - there's a box of biscuits sitting in my kitchen right now and i have not the slightest temptation to touch it, i've already promised it to XP. The fruit is generally low GI (i have 2-3 medium-high GI fruits/week), and that woman was either addicted to drinking overripe banana, grape and mango smoothies 8 times a day, or a LIAR! There are 3 diabetics in my immediate family, we have the genes for it. Two type 2 and one type 1 and BELIEVE ME the type 2's didn't get that way from fruit. My dad was long-term debilitating stress and over-eating and my sister was diet and pre-existing insulin-resistance factors (PCOS) and over-eating. ALL of the fruit-induced diabetics are anecdotal, they have never been able to reproduce the effect in a study except using high amounts of high GI fruit in incredibly unrealistic amounts (like, do you know anyone that eats 11 over-ripe bananas, 4 mangos and 2 whole pineapples every DAY?). Don't get me wrong, i know a WeightWatchers leader who often has to say "Maybe cut out the bananas" but as she says, she can only advise on what they write down, and often they just don't write it all down... Maybe you can remember me when your first denial-ly client says "But i only snack on fruit!" ;)

Anyway, thanks for your giant post, and i hope my lukewarmness isn't a big kick in the guts! Your resistance stuff is really helpful (if a bit overwhelming :redface: ) and i'll definitely look at adding it in somehow.

Bx

No worries Hoobs thats fine! I should have put that I meant for you to spend no more than about 20 mins on the resistance training TOPS so I thought you could do it on the end of a run or before or maybe in the afternoon or something, I didn't mean do it all on seperate days :doh: . To be honest I know i'm getting a bit carried away, I tend to assume everyone is like me and if they mention they want to change something I assume they will go flat out till it's done. The thing is I have to get past that or i'm not going to be a very good trainer :redface:

Ok, just use the exercises as something to look at when/if you have the time and you're in the mood. That way it's there if you need it. Maybe if you dropped the legs and did back and chest one day and chest and shoulders the other a couple of times a week after your runs.

And don't worry, it was beneficial to me, even just to program someone not using gym equipment (a lot harder).

Re the plantar faciitis, have you had it looked at? That can get really bad (as you know) without rest...hope it gets better soon X

I haven't had it looked at this time, but i've got flattish feet so i've had it on and off before... I'm actually wondering if that's what it is, because at the moment all i have is a burning bruised feeling in my heel, no arch stabbing at all, seem to have skipped that bit... Either that or it's just a plain old bruised heel instead. If i'm lucky i'll heal up in a week. I'm laying off running, step and will *sigh* have to use the buggy this week, i'll give it a good go, but i CANNOT stay in all week! I need more ibuprofen actually, so i'd need to go out for that anyway. Should i do pump? Normally pump is the last thing i skip, but it hurts to stand, so i can't see how standing with weights is going to do me much good... Advice?

No worries on the workout, it's not that it wasn't fabulous, it is, it's just i KNOW me - any changes i make need to be incremental and they need to fit into my lifestyle. Otherwise i just do it for 3 weeks and then give up and am back to square one. I used to go on mad whirlwinds of change in my teens/early twenties, and all that happened is that i'd end up with a completely alien-looking life for a week or two and then either jump or slide back into old ways, losing any progress i'd made in the process. Maybe when you're PTing people you can work on the assumption they want to change as little as possible about their life and as much as possible about their body? Keeping it sustainable is the most important bit for me. Like rather than eating 1500calories a day to lose weight and then increasing to a maintenance level when i have, i'd rather eat at the maintenance level of the weight i want to be - the excess weight comes off MUCH more slowly, but i'm never hungry and there's no giant adjustment to make, you know?

Bx

Time for a feedback session already! YEP, i just did you WHOLE workout! It took me 0:49:10 including stretching (at the end, i just did the current pump stretch/cooldown routine). So, here goes:

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Legs
1. Weighted squats - 3 sets of 15 reps
1. Lunges - 3 sets of 15 reps (up to you to use weights or the bench if you want )
(So for this you do 1st set squats-1st set lunge right leg-1st set lunge left leg. Then 2nd set squat-2nd set lunge right leg-2nd set lunge left leg)

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Wow. I did these unweighted, i missed pump tonight due to my sore foot so i decided to do the move without the weight but went quite deep in the squat (deeper than i would with weights) and use the step for the lunges. Hun i was SHAKING by the end, despite the lack of weights. My quads especially REALLY feel like they've done a workout!

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Chest
2. Barbell pullovers - 3 sets of 15 reps
(lie on somewhere that has space behind you, maybe accross the bed with your head at the end. With arms extended hold barbell in overhand grip, hands shoulder width apart. Inhale lowering the barbell behind the head bending slightly at the elbows ((not bent like a tricep ext)). Exhale and return to initial position.)
2. Pushups - 3 sets of 15 reps - I WANT TOES!!!

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I've never done the first move before. It was actually really great! Do they ever do it in pump? I'm sick of chest presses and my chest is weak enough i always feel (despite having my technique checked 50 times) that my shoulders and triceps do most of the work. This move really engaged my boobs (sorry, but that IS how it felt!) AND it made me keep my abs super-tight to guard my back - a winner for sure! I'm afraid you didn't get toes, i wasn't kidding when i said i couldn't do ONE full press up! Instead you got knees, with legs extended, toes raised and ankles crossed and even with that, by the 8th press of the 2nd set (i was mixing the moves as you suggested) i was watching sweat drip steadily onto my floor from my head with every press!

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Shoulders
3. Seated front press - 3 sets of 15 reps
(Sit with back straight and hold bar with an overhand grip resting on chest. Inhale and extend the bar vertically, exhale an return to starting position)
3. Barbell front raises - 3 sets of 15 reps
(Stand with legs slightly apart and back straight inhale and raise the barbell with arms extended to eye level, exhale and return)

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I kind of messed this one up because i didn't read thoroughly and the first set of move 1 i raised the bar out horizontally instead of vertically! I don't know if that's a real move or even if it's safe but it didn't hurt (except in my shoulders of course!) and i stopped as soon as i realised. I will admit i had to switch down weights for the raises. I lifted 8kg for the overheads but i was shaking too hard to get the bar up without using momentum so i used 4kg for the 2nd move (still mixing it up though). It sounds a cop-out - i know to get maximum benefit i need to be lifting 75% my max, but to be honest i have the bars loaded into "heavy" and "lighter" and since i'd have needed pliers to change them up i left them that way... 8kg is the maximum one can fit on either bar and still hold it safely. I might change the lighter one to hold 6 instead of 4 though...

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Back
4. Bent rows - 3 sets of 15 reps
(you know these from Pump. They're just 15's not triples or singles!)
4.Upright row - 3 sets of 15
(you know these from Pump too - let me know if you're not sure)

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These are hader because of the way i have to use the short bars. Think of a dumbell with the weights either end and a grip in the centre. In order to get 8kg on the bar i have to put it in the centre and hold the ends (handily this is a shoulder-distance grip ;)), so when i do bent rows the bar isn't able to get to my belly because the plates are in the way... I don't know how much difference this makes? I felt it mosetly in my shoulderblades and trapezium (? - the coathanger muscles above/behind the collar bones). Also these work my upper back, but i find that my lower back, me being tall, is the weaker place. I know i need to work on my abs to improve my overall core stability, but are there weights i could do which target my lower back? I did do 15 deadlifts before starting your sets, but TBH i'm used to lifting 17kg in Pump, so the 8kg i can fit on the bar didn't do much at all. I also work out in the pool - are butterfly kicks any good for lower back strength?

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Arms
5. Bicep Curls - 3 sets of 15
5. Tricep dips - 3 sets of 15
(Do them off your sofa or something else that feels like the right level. Knees bent or straight legs for harder. Hardest - put one foot on top of the other in straight leg position?

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OW! The biceps were fine (i lift 10kg for both groups in pump) but the tri's O.M.G. so hard. I was always crappy at dips anyway. My sofa is uselessly soft so i did these off a dining chair - legs BENT thankyou! And even with that, i did the last 3 of the final set at quadruple speed because i felt like my arms were gonna fall off! Definitely cheated!

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Abs - If you've been bracing your abs properly the who session you shouldn't need to do abs but if you are so inclined

6. Crunches 3 sets fo 15
(make sure your knees are up at 45 * angle, this dissengages (sp?) your hip flexors)
6. Side plank - each side for 45 secs, only once per side cause i'm pretty sure you're now knackered! (longer if you can or less if you have to).

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Yes, i have now seen your abs and i know you don't suffer from what i do....weak abs making you rely too much on your back! My abs get tired and i forget to engage them, or lose them part way through, or generally just find it hard to keep them engaged. Also i just CAN'T get that much weight on the bar at home, so some of the moves are more challenging to my cv system (heartrate was WELL up and was sweating madly) than my actual muscles iykwim, so i wasn't "forced" to keep them engaged like i am if i hit it really hard at pump. So i did the abs too :) I really enjoed them, but i think i'll mix them up myself too - i could have done a minute of planks but was too lazy by then to make myself do it, and the crunches i might switch out for leg extension crunches next time.

Yes, CQ, NEXT TIME! My foot is still sore, i'm clearly NOT going to be running this week, maybe not next either. I have eaten really well today, i did have chocolate to celebrate a friend's getting of her PhD, but i had about 100cals worth and i've had 4 portions of (all low GI) fruit and 7 of (really yummy) veg. I was feeling so flat though, so unable to exercise and generally crappy. And then i did this and i really felt like i'd worked out! I might do a repeat if i can't get to pump this week, but even if i get to pump i can see me doing this once a week or so as a whole-body routine, and maybe taggin individual groups onto runs when i can run again. I enjoyed it that much. It made me feel so much better - more in control of myself (i HATE not being able to run, especially when i've got PMT and feel fat and am in FACT wanting to lose some weight anyway) and of my fitness. Thanks hun, it made a big difference. I imagined you (with a neighbours accent - sorry, it was that or Kath and Kim! lol) yelling at me to keep going and it made me laugh!

I'm hitting to pool for 45-60mins tomorrow (would like to do 60 but am not realistically fit for that and do NOT want to injure myself out of the pool too!) and i'll bet i have DOMS so bad i just need to float up and down on the current :D

Bx

ETA - you definitely earned a look at me! I've uploaded some pics. Sadly in 3 i'm in a bunny girl outfit, but to be honest i don't ever have much call to photograph my body unless there's something exciting about what's on it - this was a sneak preview for DP before we went out to a costume club-night - he wore a tux *swooning* :) The last one at least has me in running tights - slightly more relevant to this thread! I'm bit heavier now, but to be honest i tried on the bunny costume 3 days ago and it still fits. It's skin tight, but it was when i made it (that''s right MADE out of an old pair of wirk trousers! lol).

If i could change anything about my body it would be to have leaner thighs, especially at the tops, but when i told DP this he said just to "reduce fat" and i said well i want to keep my bum and boobs and he said "Well write to God about it, because right now i don't know of a way to spot reduce.... LOL, i know this but still i look at the part of my thigh towards my knee and ask the wobble-tops "why can't you be more like those bits down there!?" xxx

Oh yay i'm so excited you did it and liked it!!! You are officially my first client :dance:

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I've never done the first move before. It was actually really great! Do they ever do it in pump?

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No, I wish they did shake it up a bit but as far as I know they just do chest presses :(

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OW! The biceps were fine (i lift 10kg for both groups in pump) but the tri's O.M.G. so hard. I was always crappy at dips anyway. My sofa is uselessly soft so i did these off a dining chair - legs BENT thankyou! And even with that, i did the last 3 of the final set at quadruple speed because i felt like my arms were gonna fall off! Definitely cheated!

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Haha, you'll be doing them single armed on a medicine ball with feet on a bosu in no time :clap:

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Yes, i have now seen your abs and i know you don't suffer from what i do....weak abs making you rely too much on your back!

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I used to - really badly but I think that doing planks has really strengthened them. That and forcing myself to engage my abs during the classes. I actually did a Combat track the other day and after it my abs were killing me. The trainer at my course the other day said that the tranverse abdominals are the ones that people (women esp) need to work on. She said they are the really deep ones, the ones you engage when doing your PF exercises and they are really important for posture. A good way to isolate them is lying on your back with your legs in the air and lowering one leg at a time to just above the floor and then bringing it back up. Higher option is straighten the leg - next option is bring both legs down at the smae time keeping them straight. The most important thing though is that your back is GLUED to the floor. If it ocmes up you have to drop back a level.

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Yes, CQ, NEXT TIME! My foot is still sore, i'm clearly NOT going to be running this week, maybe not next either. I have eaten really well today, i did have chocolate to celebrate a friend's getting of her PhD, but i had about 100cals worth and i've had 4 portions of (all low GI) fruit and 7 of (really yummy) veg. I was feeling so flat though, so unable to exercise and generally crappy. And then i did this and i really felt like i'd worked out! I might do a repeat if i can't get to pump this week, but even if i get to pump i can see me doing this once a week or so as a whole-body routine, and maybe taggin individual groups onto runs when i can run again. I enjoyed it that much. It made me feel so much better - more in control of myself (i HATE not being able to run, especially when i've got PMT and feel fat and am in FACT wanting to lose some weight anyway) and of my fitness. Thanks hun, it made a big difference. I imagined you (with a neighbours accent - sorry, it was that or Kath and Kim! lol) yelling at me to keep going and it made me laugh!

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I'm so glad you're going to do it again, I feel like a success!!! I'm from Sussex but I have been here for nearly 8 years so try and imagine my accent as a cross between Bridget Jones and...Kylie!

Thanks for posting the pictures - I wondered what you look like. You must have better control of your abs then you think because your stomach is FLAT!!!

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If i could change anything about my body it would be to have leaner thighs, especially at the tops, but when i told DP this he said just to "reduce fat" and i said well i want to keep my bum and boobs and he said "Well write to God about it, because right now i don't know of a way to spot reduce.... LOL, i know this but still i look at the part of my thigh towards my knee and ask the wobble-tops "why can't you be more like those bits down there!?" xxx

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God I wish you could spot reduce - it's not fair! I lose weight from my face, arms and chest first (hence all the comments i've had as thats the first thing people see). My boobs have gone from a C to an A :( When I wear my sports bra its flat - nothing there lol! I don't mind though, not really. I'd like to get rid of my saddle bags but hey ho.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it and it worked for you! Hope you're not too sore (a bit of DOMS is good)

YAY HOOBS :clap::clap:

And everyone this is not the rachel and hoobley show - where are you all???

Hi CQ and Hoobley!

CQ - took the scenic tour since Saturday but I made it here...

I was just checking out the program you have written for Hoobley, do you mind if I give it a go? I might have to do it in two seperate parts as DD is only sleeping half an hour at a time during the day at the moment (sleeps 12-14 hours overnight though, lovely!)

I have no idea what I weigh since giving birth to DD, I was weighted the morning before I gave birth and was 79kgs. My thin self used to be 53-56kgs, healthy and toned I was 59-63kgs. I still havn't found my book with my body fat % listings. I am not to fazed with the weight (number) as such, I do want to change my body shape and tone and feel better withing myself, at the moment I feel drained and tired and always seem to have a blocked nose :(

I just wrote up an eating plan (I too have a problem with portion control) this morning and was going to battle the resistance training next, then I came on here and it seems that you have done the hard work for me CQ! I am planning on hitting it as hard as I can! Hopefully see some good results for Christmas!

I need to do all my training within my house, yard, surrounds as I cannot leave DD. There is a personal training company that runs classes/training for Mums and Bubs, but I prefer to save my $$$, I know I can do it on my own if I try hard enough.

Well I'm off to take DD for a walk, it is such a beautiful day here today!

Well, XP slept in so i never got to swim yesterday (ok i did, but i did 250m! And the rest was playing about with him and DD - NOT a workout, though whenever she got too far away i made myself stand up (waist-deep) and RUN rather than swimming, so i did burn a few cals... So i was even MORE glad for your workout CQ! LOL ;)

I'm going to do it again tonight, and tomorrow AFTER i drop DD at her dad's i've arranged for DP to do his usual 90minute spin class before coming to me, so i can get a decent-length swim in. I'm going to aim for 45mins in the pool. I use fins and a pullbouy and a kickboard (not all at once...) so it's kind of cardio and resistance. CQ do you think i should drop the fins and pullbouy to make it more cardio focussed? It makes me faster (obviously) using fins, but i'm swimming for a time, not a distance. But then, i'll burn more calories with more resistance won't i? Hmmm, i hope you have nothing to do and can answer these dumb questions! If there's only like 10 calories in it then i'll probably use my fins...good for my lats anyway :) I can be lazy with my legs so i use the kickboard to FORCE me to use them properly for a bit. I sometimes swim catch-up to work my legs harder but it's a public pool, there's always 53 other people in your lane and altering pace once you're "into" it is pretty hard...

I took my measurements this morning (still very against weighing myself!). I was going to re-measure weekly, but is fortnightly more realistic? I know with weight you can usually expect to see a measurable difference in a week, but is that the case with measurements? DP doesn't have calipers and even he did i am not excited to have him measure me. This might sound daft but i think his appreciation (or otherwise) of my body needs to be innate, and i don't want him KNOWING my "numbers" iykwim. Also as much as he sees a billion very lean gym-loving sisters when he's working out etc. he actually prefers going to bed with more meat and gravy...

Matilda's mummy, WELCOME!!! I can recommend the workout, even without the full weight CQ suggested! And CQ, on that topic, i think i might have managed to find a better set of freeweights to borrow off someone :D

Deanne - when i read this:

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at the moment I feel drained and tired and always seem to have a blocked nose

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I was a bit concerned. Exhaustion and relentless low-level sinus infections were among the early symptoms of my thyroid condition, along with hairloss, difficulty in losing weight (before i had DD) and puffy eyes. Post-partum thyroid issues are really common, and it might be worth you getting the doctor to test your TSH and T4 levels just to make sure everything's ticking along ok. If you're hypothyroid (not enough) it's just a tiny pill once a day and you're straight :)

Bx

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Deanne - when i read this: I was a bit concerned. Exhaustion and relentless low-level sinus infections were among the early symptoms of my thyroid condition, along with hairloss, difficulty in losing weight (before i had DD) and puffy eyes. Post-partum thyroid issues are really common, and it might be worth you getting the doctor to test your TSH and T4 levels just to make sure everything's ticking along ok. If you're hypothyroid (not enough) it's just a tiny pill once a day and you're straight :)Bx

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Hmm, funny you say that! I was diagnoised with a thyroid problem at about 8 weeks pregnant and have been taking 1 tablet (half dose), I saw my Dr last week to have her re-test to see what is happening now I have had DD, *confession*, the blood test script is still sitting in my hand bag, came across it this morning actually and thought ohh I have to get that done! Maybe they need to up my dosage (my Dad, although he 50, is on 4 times as much as me) I also did say, just yesterday that I have an unusal amount of hair coming out in the shower, I have bum length hair but very thin so it was a concern (not that you can see the difference).
You have given me the kick in the butt I need, I will go down in the morning and get it done.

Good for you! :D Glad to be the butt kicker hun. Do you know what dose you're on? I was improved by 25mcgm (which is the lowest dose in the UK, and usually only used as a starter dose) in that my bloods came into the normal ranges but i still felt BLAH. Now i'm on 50mcgm, my bloods are still fine and i feel much better, though i notice that if i get it from my GP's pharmacy the generic they carry leaves me feeling a bit flat, whereas the Lloyds generic is much better somehow. I don't know how that can be but there it is. My sister takes 200mcgm/day! :O

Bx

I am on 50mcg, which the Dr told me is a half dose over here and also the starter dose. I am currently on the Sigma brand which I got from the hospital the week before I had DD. My chemist does stock a different brand which is what I used to take, maybe I should go back there and get it next time. Hehe, seems like this has turned into the 'thyroid thread'!

I think that getting my thyroid under control will be a big help, maybe get rid of that excess fat hanging around, then I may be able to tone up. I need my stomach back, don't know how hard that will be after a CS, have either of you had one and been able to get those stomach muscles back? I know it is meant to be really hard. I personally don't think that my stomach looks THAT bad, just needs to be tightened... it is my sides (love handles) that make it look bad and thighs.

Well, at least I have a starting point, and the motivation!

As you can see from my sig, i was at home, but i think CQ has had a section....?

Bx

Hullo :)

Yep, I had a Csect with DD who is now 5. It is definatly possible to get the muscles back. You can see in my photos though that I still have that bump at the bottom, would love a totally flat stomach but i'm not complaining...We were talking about "spot reduction" before and it's not possible unfortunatly but if you reduse your body fat % you will lose it from your tummy (just not generally first off). Then its just a matter of building the muscle. It depends what you want really, if you just want to see the muscle then lose the weight. We all have a 6 pack - it's just with most it's still in the carton :rofl: If you want definition then build the muscle and lose the fat. The main muscle you want to target is the Transverse Abdominals. These are the ones that sit around the front like a belt. They are really important for posture and esp important for women who have had children as they are the muscles that help and contract when you do your pelvic floor exercises.

Matildasmummy - of course I don't mind you doing the program! It's pretty generic so anyone wanting to achieve weight loss and a little bit of hypertrophy (muscle gain) can use it. Do you have any weights though? Most of those exercises can be done using dumbbells or barbells or even a medicine ball.

Glad you're getting your thyroid problem sorted out, sounds like it could explain the way you're feeling.

Hoobs, I'm not sure about the swimming, maybe you could do all three and use it as interval training. One lap sprinting, one lap slower using the pullbuoy (not really sure what that is, sorry!)?

INWYM about getting DP to pinch you with the calipers! Kinda takes the romance away doesn't it!!

I had my measurements done on Sat and i've lost another 1.4 KG (3.4 in total) which is good. My measurements haven't changed much but thats because i'm doing too much cardio to really build my muscle as much as I should be (but thats another thread...). My body fat % is down to 15 which is as low as it's going to go! I've dropped my interval training sessions (thank god) but I have picked up a few classes, i've missed them so much! Only 3 weeks to go!!!

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

Hoobly, you do great swimming, I can not swim anymore, when I was a kid I could swim great, don't know what happened, I seem to have just forgotten how to.

Maybe I should have looked at your sig's in regards to whether either of you have had a CS. It is great to know CQ that you have had a CS and have been able to get your stomach looking great again.

I do have a home gym, but it was taken apart and put into the shed when I was pregnant, now I don't have any space to put it back together, I do have the dumbbells and barbells still in the house though and plenty of weights as DP also uses them.

I don't want a 6 pack, just a slim and toned stomach. When my batteries charge on my camera I will take pics and let you see what I am trying to get rid of! I want to tone my whole body really but my 'handles' are just my current gripe.

I understand your concern but really i'm not underweight. I'm 164cm (5'4) and I weigh 53.1KG so i'm in no way underweight. Thats pretty scary about your friend though :( I'm in a really hard place because my lower body is exactly the way i've always wanted it - my thighs are lean, my bum is perky (!) and I can see my abs. But...my face is thin, my chest is bony and I have no boobs and I really hate that :( It's like we were talking about before - you can't spot reduce and you can't spot put-on either! So I either put on weight and lose my lower body or maintain and deal with being flat chested.

Hoobs - I thought you weren't going to weigh yourself? Can't believe you caved lol! Honestly don't worry about the figures - muscle weighs more anyway. Have you measured yourself yet? Do you know the right places to do it?

Deanne - have oyu tried the workout yet? I didn't realise your DD was so little. Have you been to the Dr to see if it's ok to exercise? Also you might want to run over the exercises to make sure they are ok for post-Caesar - just a thought because I don't want to hurt you lol!

CQ i sent you a PM about my whole bf% phobias. LOL.

I know, i measured AND weighed, so that if i saw no change in one i could hopefully see a change in the other. I didn't take measurements in areas i read on or anything, i just took them in the places i usually see the changes. They were (nude): chest (over fullest part), waist (smallest part), over bellybutton (to take in back-fat lol!), hips (biggest circ i could get, around my butt), thighs (around biggest part), upper arms (ditto thighs). I didn't take the bodyfat ones you can get - i've done that before and on the same day, with the same numbers, i got 6 different answers, most between 23 and 25% (which i would figure is pretty accurate) but one at 19% and one at 32%!!! It's funny looking at the numbers though, you can SEE my curves - my true waist is about 2.5 inches above my bellybutton but there is FIVE inches in the difference between circumferences of my waist and torso-at-bellybutton! I am short-waisted, the top of my iliac crests is only 5 inches below my waist. But i definitely notice my waist gets higher as i gain weight (rather than bigger i mean) - it takes more for it to start to get bigger.

I'm a bit shattered today. We forgot to put the clocks back last night, then DD got up at 7.15 (BST), 6.15 (GMT). Now it's 00.12 (GMT) and i should be in bed! LOL. Instead of an extra hour in bed i got an extra hour in my day! No doubt tomorrow will be a sketch with DD's routines...

I'm doing my first fast tomorrow. I decided i wanted to somehow include fasting into my regular life (did a thread on it a while back) so at the moment my plan is to fast during daylight on the last monday of every month, but i'll see how i get on tomorrow. I'm going to take on water throughout the day, just no food. The day is short too, so i'm not very daunted, but i'm secretly glad that i'll be able to eat early enough that i can do your routine tomorrow night CQ ;)

Bx

Why are you fasting?!!!! I'll see if I can find your other thread...

Hey

Here's the thread on fasting i began.

In fact my fast attempt failed. I got to just after midday.

I have completely underestimated the difference between fasting while in a sedentary desk job and fasting while having to care for and entertain a toddler. BIG difference. Within only an hour of missing breakfast i was feeling exhausted, and within another hour i was feeling disconnected and (physically) cold, like my blood wasn't flowing right. This was all fine at a desk and allowed me to think of my task/fast and why i was doing it, but with DD it was just EXHAUSTING. At one point she looked at me when she was doing something i'd normally have sorted out in 2 seconds and gone back to playing with her and today i was somehow unable to deal with, and she said "mama's angry" and i thought, i am choosing to do this to her, to us, for no real reason.

Basically by midday i knew i would only be able to get to sunset if i sacrificed her day as i just couldn't cope with normal activities and so when her tuna toasted sandwhich arrived in the play centre we were in, i had 2 bites of it and ate her left-over salad and felt a billion times better. Since then i've had some toast, a cuppa, and of course 3 portions of fruit :)

Fasting certainly is worthwhile, but for me, right now, and forseeably until my babies are all cooked, born and grown to school-age, it's too much to attempt on a regular basis. I was planning on doing your routine again tonight CQ, but i feel exhausted right now (not enough sleep exhausted, which will probably be because i didn't get enough sleep LOL) so i'm not sure. I'll see how i feel after dinner, once DD is in bed.

Bx

Oh you poor thing, I know exactly how foggy not eating can make you! I understand it is a spiritual thing but physically - yikes!

Been a crappy few days for me at the gym. On sunday I decided it would be a good idea to go for a sunbed (solarium) with my dark skinned friend (I am very pale naturally but have a bit of a tan now). We did it at 9.30am and I only had 10 mins. By about midday I was getting uncomfortable and by the eveing I was in so much pain! It's worse around the bits that don't normaly see the sun (only had on a g-string in the sunbed) - think burnt nipples :( Mon I didn't go to the gym - could barely walk! Tues I did PT - had to only do upper body as I can't bend lol! Trainer thought it was hillarious and kept making me do things that really, really hurt. After that I attempted Combat which was a bit of a joke really! Usually I then do another Combat on Tues evenings but I was just too sore :( Today I woke up feeling a little better and managed an ok effort in Combat. Hopefully i'll be better tomorrow as we're doing lower body and he won't show any mercy lol!

Hows everyone else doing? Bec hows your foot? MatildasMummy have you done the work out yet?

Hows everyone else?

Holy cow CQ, was the machine properly set up?! I can't believe 10mins would do so much damage and believe me, i am the WHITEST woman alive! At least you got a day off i suppose, but your poor skin!

I have had a funny sort of week. I did your workout on Monday, felt great. Then AF came which was a big relief but also gave me quite a dodgy tummy for a few days. One of DD's friends has been down with the winter vomiting thing again, so it's possible we had a mild case of that, but DD has been totally fine and i've just had random tummy pains and gas, which isn't unusual for AF-time.

Anyway last night i did feel decidedly rough and my gym-buddy was in bed also with stomach pains and so i ended up skipping pump. I didn't even feel up to doing your workout either, though today i plan to do about 30-40mins step and THEN the weights so we shall see how that works out ;)

Anyway, i went and re-did my weights and measurements. My weight is weird. Last week i was 13stones/83kg. This week i am just under 12st12lbs but the line is RIGHT ON 81kg. This must mean the dials are slightly out, since i just checked and 83kg is ALMOST 13stones1lb. But anyway, i've lost about 3lbs/1.5kg in the last week and in my measurements you can see i've also lost 7cm overall, 2cm from my chest, 2cm from my torso at bellbutton level, 1cm from one thigh (one was bigger but they're now the same size) and 1cm from each arm. I feel much better too, my bones are closer to the surface in some places and i just feel good. I felt good before i weighed and measured too, so if there'd been no difference i'd have still felt good, because my body FEELS better to me at any rate.

I am so happy that i proved to myself i CAN lose weight. And it's actually been relatively easy. I've really enjoyed the extra workouts, i'm never hungry because of all the veg and fruit i'm getting in, and the few times i've craved sugar i either have a little (literally about 4grams) square of chocolate or a mug of hot chocolate, but that's happened about 3 times in the last 2 weeks. Because it doesn't feel at all like a diet (still having whatever i want at the weekends, but just craving junky food much less) it just feels really good. If people have asked "are you on a diet?" i just say "no, just trying to eat a bit better".

Anyway, that's my little woohoo! :) And i couldn't even RUN to assist with the weightloss, and given 2-3lbs is the most i'd WANT to lose in a week (i'd attribute some of the loss to being waterweight, from getting AF, or i'd be a bit concerned it was coming off so fast) so i'm kind of glad now. I'm hoping when i've lost a bit more my foot injuries will slow down. When you run your foot hits the ground with 3x the force of your weight. So and extra 5lbs might not be much on the body, but in the run it's 15lbs extra force on each foot every single time it hits the ground.

My foot has been pain free most of the week but i decided to give it a good chance to heal before taking it out for a run. Maybe next week.

Bx

Yeah I know, was talking to my instructor this evening and she said I should complain as I shouldn't have been put under for that long :( It doesn't hurt anymore but the skin is really dry and flaky and I was really worried that the skin on my bb's would scar but the chemist said it wouldn't - I hope not :(

Hoobs thats great about your weights and measurements!!! You must be stoked! And it's good that your diet is sustainable and you're not hungry. There's nothing worse than being hungry! Imagine how you'll go when you're running again!!

I have 11 days left of the challenge! Last night was the last seminar and we had to write a goal for the next 11 days and mine is to do one unassisted chin up (yes I am ashamed to say I can't even do one :( ) Brett seems to think i'll be able to do it and I trust him so fingers crossed!

We did upper body today and at the end he said stuff ti we'll just do upper body from now till the end of the challenge - it's what I want to focus on and i'm pretty happy with my lower boday anyway.

I have had the best day today - Combat this evening was so good and I've come to a realisation about why I want to instruct. I love music and performing - I studied Performing Arts at college and used to act and sing and dance in shows and plays and things but then I lost my nerve. This way I get to learn chory, prance about to (sometimes) daggy music and have fun and get paid for it! What a great job. Ok, the money is crap but who cares - i'm doing it anyway so I might as well get something for it!

So as soon as I do my work experience I am signing myself up for the Combat workshop!!!

Hey CQ - how you going now? Only a week left... ;) You're going to be such a great instructor - the ones who are keen and energetic always make me want to go more! :D

Well, i've had a crazy week. On Sunday we found a house to rent we liked the look of and went to drive and look at the outside of it. On Monday we went to see it. On Tuesday we asked a bunch of questions and spent the day on the phone working out various details. On Wednesday we asked a few more questions. On Thursday we got our last set of answers and DP went to pay the bond to take it off the market and pick up our paperwork. I've had a dodgy stomach and tension headaches all week from the stress and a MIGRAINE last night (first in 11 years!). So i've done nothing whatsoever by way of exercise (apart from my usual walking and so on) all week.

Today i weighed and measured again. Lost another kilo - down to 80kg. I also lost an inch of my waist, and inch off my torso at belly-button and an inch off my hips plus 1cm off each thigh (need to lose A LOT more than that!). Which was great considering my lack of exercise! Anyway, the kilo loss spurred me on, and i just did your routine again CQ.

I've been mixing it up a bit. For the 2nd and 3rd sets of squats i go down, do one pulse, and then stand up. After the squats and lunges i do 45 leg extensions over the arm of the sofa with an 8kg bar on my ankles (secured!). Instead of tricep dips i sometimes do kickbacks instead. Or i do a set of kickbacks, a set of dips, a set of kickbacks...

I was wondering if you could mix up the chest for me...? I was doing presses tonight and i'm STILL so weak, it's just NOT coming. I feel like my chest is doing nothing, it's all my shoulders and arms and upper back. The overhead extensions for my chest are great, but i don't feel i'm getting stronger, maybe it's my technique? How can i isolate the chest better and get stronger? My boobs are huge and my pecs are like this pathetic little bulge under the top quarter of each one... :(

I've still not run - i carried DD in the meitai last week and my heel felt slightly itchy afterwards (sounds weird, but i know the feeling well - kind of "not quite" an injury). Hopefully this week will be better. I'm going to start right at the bottom again, 2.5km, adding 0.5km every run until i hit 5, then 5km 3 times a week for a week, then two 5kms and a 6km and so on until i'm back to proper distances. I just put a woohoo in the woohoo room, and i'm off to check for new running routes around there, to plan my winter exercise :D

Bx

Aaagggghhhhhhhhhhhh only 2 more days!!! I am so scared of finishing this thing I want it to keep going! I am having trouble writing my essay thing and I posted about it in the Platinum discussion forum, was hoping that some people could help me but only one did - i'm finding it difficult to write down what i'm feeling if that makes sense?

So Hoobs have you got the house? I hope so, how exciting!!!

Yay for the weight loss even though you can't really run - you must be on the right track, it's great that it;s all moving forward for you!

With the chest presses it;s relly hard as I can't see your technique. Make sure your back is flat and not arched. A good way to take it out of your back is to bring your knees up, this takes off a lot of pressure. Also try and make sure you're bringing the bar in line with your nipples or that there is a 90* angle in your armpit.

Mixing up chest...Hmmm, ok well other than the chest presses and the overhead extensions you could do pushups (are you already doing them?). You couls do flys (do you have dumbells I can't remember). Lie on a bench (or whatever you have) with a dumbell or weight in each hand and arms extended or slightly bent. Inhale and open the arms to horizontal. Raise the arms back to vertical while extending. Flys focus the work on your Pec Major.

It's really hard to think of anymore that you can do at home. In the gym I could give you heaps but you are quite limited with the equipment you have :( Maybe try the pushups and flys for a while and see how you go?

My training has been going really well. My arms feel like they are going to fall off this evening, we worked so hard today that the veins were literally BULGING out of my arms when we were doing bicep curls!! Good news is I can now do one full (and a couple of crappy half) unassisted, wide grip, chinups on the bars! And about 3 unassisted, narrow grip ones!

YEAY we got the house!!!

I can't get into Platinum just now as my gifted membership expired and DP is getting me a lifetime but not until Christmas :) If you want to copy and paste your post from Platinum into a PM i could try to help?

The fly's sound GREAT = THANKYOU!!!! DP checked my technique and said a) it's fine and b) i have overly ambitious expectations re: strength... I'm going to do the flys though because i DO have dumbells and they sound just the ticket. Quick question - do i keep my arms straight as i lower or do i bend them?

I know, my lack of time to get to the gym is so depressing! I've STILL not run but i think i might go out and run in a minute actually. Just a 2.5k to get me back on the wagon. I actually tend to be MUCH hungrier when i'm running regularly so i'm probably losing weight so well because i'm NOT running, if that makes sense. But a 2.5 shouldn't up my appetite too much, and i'm going to do my upper body work when i get back...or i might leave it and do a full-body tonight...will wait and see. We've got a spare room or two in the new place and might be getting a few machines and weights sets to use, which will really help! I'd like a multigym but the one i like is 3 grand! LOL. No chance!

You can keep going with some aspects of the challenge can't you? Like the focus work on your upper body etc.? I would slacken off on the eating a wee bit, mainly because life is more fun without having to worry about it, but the rest you could keep on to some extent?

Besides you're moving forward to be an instructor, that's a new focus, keep shifting the goalposts and you'll be right :D

Bx

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Quick question - do i keep my arms straight as i lower or do i bend them?Bx

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Keep them slightly bent to relieve the stress on the joint. Also forgot to say make sure you use lighter weights for the flys or you could tear your pec muscles - ouch!

Yay for the house! When do you move in?

I will keep up the same training except i'll be adding a class :redface: I'll be back to 6 days again! I'm also going to drink again but only when I have people over or I am out - I'm not going to drink when i'm by myself. It's a bad habit to get in to and I have proved to myself that I don't need it to relax in the evening. The thing that worries me is that everyone, well some people are giving me crap now about eating healthily and not chowing down on chocolate and MacDonalds and stuff and I have the excuse of the challenge. When it's over i'm not going to have that. It ****es me off that I have to justify myelf to people when they should be applauding me for making healthy food choices. Urgh, anyway thats another topic!

How exciting about getting a gym room! You should get a medicine ball as well - they;re awesome and there is so much you can do with them! And a fit ball!!!

Here is my OP from the platinum thread...

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Wow, can't believe it's all over on Saturday It has been one hell of a rollercoaster ride lol! On Sat we get our final weights and measurements done and our "after" photos. We also have to hand in our essays which are more like a little questionaire that we have to fill in. The problem is we have to stay on the page, about 5 lines per answer. This is worth 50% of the overall competition so it's very important. I know what I want to say but i'm not sure how to word it to keep it short and sweet and on the page lol!

This is what I have, if anyone can help me word it better then please help!

Why did you participate in the Horley's Goodlife 12 Week Challenge:
I wanted to get to the next level in my fitness and challenge myself again. I wanted to improve my diet and better educate myslef with regards to nutrition. I also wanted to stop drinking alcohol for a while.

What obstacles did you face during the challenge and how did you overcome them/it:
Having suffered with anorexia from the ages of 14 to 25 I found the weighing and measureing very hard. I overcame this by not focusing on the numbers and more on how I was feeling and my energy levels. Finally realising, and feeling, how what I ate was directly affecting how I felt during the day and while exercising was an incredibly liberating feeling.

How has participating and completing the Goodlife 12 Week Challenge benefited other aspects in your life:
Whilst I have grown stronger physically I have also grown incredibly stronger emotionally. My self confidence has improved and I feel a lot more empowered in my life. I found the strength to leave an unhappy relationship and take stock of my life and realise what I want and don't want for my familiy and the future.

So guys what do you think? It's not too cheesy is it? I do want to re-word bits because it doesn't really sound right to me.

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Well you're a target because you're lean - i NEVER eat maccas - it's NOT FOOD!!!!! But because i'm a curvy woman no-one can comment. As for chocolate, i've eated it about 3 times since my new health kick but i have 2 squares instead of 2 bars - nothing wrong with that at all. If you don't like chocolate (ARE YOU MAD!?! lol) who cares what people think?

The best thing about my recent health kick is that it's an inclusive rather than exclusive diet - i'm aiming for 5-9 portions of fruit and veg yes? My average now i'm settled in is 7-8 (7.7 - SUCH a geek!), and do you know what? I am not HUNGRY for more food! I'm so stuffed with fibre the whole time i just don't want it. Someone will say "you want a slice of carrot cake" and i'll say "you know, i would, but i ate 2 actual carrots, 3 tomatoes and an apple an hour ago and i'm STUFFED still...maybe i could just have a bite of yours?" and a bite is always enough. It feels, after years of being overweight before DD and trying a million faddish diets, like i've found the holy grail of eating. I'm finding "eat more...." so much easier than "eat less...." you know?

ANyway, we've talked about this already. You are raising daughters, and THEY are who you need to worry about. Do you think "don't eat crap and try to fuel your body well" is a bad message for them? I know you've had anorexia in the past, and you're very lean just now, but i also know that you MUST be eating about 2500 cals a day to sustain the training you're doing - you cannot build muscle without calories. SO you're not harming your body, quite the contrary. If YOU know you're healthy and you're happy that your daughters will grow up seeing you and have a healthy attitude then you really need to file the opinions of others under "don't care" you know?

As for your essay...i cannot believe they give you such a tiny space to discuss it and judge 50% of the final result on it! I could sneeze and say more than that! LOL. I've put my ideas in in bold. HTH

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Why did you participate in the Horley's Goodlife 12 Week Challenge:
I wanted to get to the next level in my fitness and challenge myself again. I wanted to improve my diet and better educate myself with regards to nutrition. I also wanted to stop drinking alcohol for a while.

What obstacles did you face during the challenge and how did you overcome them/it:
Having suffered with anorexia from the ages of 14 to 25 I found the weighing and measuring very hard. I overcame this by not focusing on the numbers and more on how I was feeling and my energy levels. Finally realising, and feeling, how what I ate was directly affecting how I felt during the day and while exercising was an incredibly liberating feeling - food has become valuable fuel, and my relationship with food has been profoundly simplified with this realisation.

How has participating and completing the Goodlife 12 Week Challenge benefited other aspects in your life:
Whilst I have undoubtedly increased my physical strength I have also grown incredibly strong emotionally. My self confidence has improved tenfold and I feel so empowered in my life now. During this challenge I found the strength to leave an unhappy relationship and take stock of my life and realise what I want and don't want for my family and the future. Those changes, in my outlook and character, whether i go on exercising like this or not, are permanent.

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Bx

Oh thanks hon you're the best! I know it's crazy that it's so important and yet they give you so little space.

BTW - I do like chocolate! I just know people are going to be force feeding me to make themselves feel better and i'm just not really ready to face all of that yet!

I think the way that you're thinking at the moment is the best aproach - don't deny yourself anything but fill up regularly on healthy food and eat little and often and you won't be hungry for crap. I know that the message I am sending to the kids is a good one and I let them have chicken nuggets or fish fingers and oven chips at least once a week so I know they know about everything in moderation.

I don't really care what other people think it just gets really tireing when it's so bloody constant! But like I said to my friend today "****'em"! I am my own person now and if they don't like it they can all get ****ed! Excuse my language but I have really had enough of it all now!

Thanks again Hoobs, mwah!

Someone on another thread said "Someone can make you a **** sandwich, but you don't have to eat it" and it's SOOOO true! If people are rude enough to make comments on your eating habits then tell them to shove it! I mean my friends think i'm sworn off chocolate, DP think i'm still eating a fair bit - i tend to eat it around him! I don't really care what my friends think of that! If anyone comments on your food intake ask them if they'd like to see your poop diary, to get a proper overview to base their criticism on....

Bx

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If anyone comments on your food intake ask them if they'd like to see your poop diary, to get a proper overview to base their criticism on....

Bx

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Hahahaha I love it! I'm just going to wait for someone to say something tomorrow and and then throw in that cracker!

Well thats it - it's all over! What a strange day, i've been feeling really weird about the whole thing. First I went and got my measurements done...put on 0.1KG! No change to my arms :( +2cm in chest (woohoo, good bra!) , waist the same, -1cm hips, thighs the same. Down 6.5mm in my skinfold measurements so down to 12.5% :redface:

Then I went down to the Coast to do my photo. They made me do this silly pose and I look really uncomfortable in the photo :( I wish it had just been a front on but oh well...

Then I went down to give Brett my essay and measurements and stuff and he just took them and that was it - no "well done" "congratulations" or anything. He was busy but still I was so dissapointed. I left the office thinking "what now?" I felt really lost. It's like it's been this huge thing in my life that I have been working towards and now it's all over and the end was such a let down :( No slapping on the back, no woohoo we're done, just a "see ya". So I ran. I jumped on the treadmill and just ran and ran as fast as I oculd for about 15 minutes trying not to cry.

Then I saw Brett leaving so I called him over and told him I had a present form him )bottle of wine) and he just went "no, no you haven't" and walked off. So I told him i'd bought him a present to say thank you to be polite, as anyone would and he should accept it. He said "your presence is present enough, blah blah blah" so I just told him to wait there and gave it to him. He seemed a bit uncomfortable but I really thought everyone would be buying presents for their trainers :dunno: He said we are going to go through everything on Tuesday and review it all which made me feel a little better.

Then I ran again for a bit longer then did my chinups. As I was leaving he called out and told me to go and have a Big Mac - I deserve it!

Then I took the kids out to a restaurant which was hectic and I had garlic bread, spring rolls and a steak sandwhich and chips lol! Yummo! Tonight I've got a friend coming around with a bottle of vodka woohoo!

Phew! I still feel a bit strange but I guess thats normal. I think i'm going to post about this in the other forum...I feel like I need to debrief.