Tuesday 28 February 2012

Getting to the core of the problem

I have abs.  I have sore abs.  Yay sore abs!

Yesterday I had my session with Sarah and I told her that I wanted a new program with a real focus on my core.  I have never done core work, in fact I avoid it like the plague because I have no core strength and it embarrasses me how useless I am.  Talk about fat girl thinking though "I'll do it when I lose weight", "I can't do that everyone will look at me".  I decided fuck that noise, just doing it!

And so with Sarah's wonderful help I have a new program and I really enjoyed it.  Also I wasn't as useless as I thought so yay.  She made me do planks, she got me doing the easy plank (on your knees) and because I could easily hold that for 1min she was like nope you need the real thing.

What is even doubly awesome is most of it is dumb bell and swiss ball work so I can do it at home and hopefully encourage Neil to do it (he also has a very weak core).  So I'm hoping to have the motivation to do it on a Friday with the kids home.  Go for a work, then do core.  I'm pretty terrible at working out at home, I love the gym but for some reason at home its like eh nah. 

Saturday 25 February 2012

One week at a time

Ok so after my rant about losing the will to shed the weight, I've had a good week.  I've stayed on plan all week and worked out three times, with a result of -3lb. 

So I think I need to break the focus down to the little bites.  One day, one week at at time, 1kg at a time.  Today I'm 86.4kg, by next Sunday I want to be under 86kg.  Little bites.

Tuesday I'm meeting with Sarah (fitness consultant) to revamp my gym workout.  I want to do more free weights and core work.  With my returning to work in a week I want a new plan for the start of semester to make the most of limited work out time.

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Shopping spree

I go back to work on the 5th, I am so looking forward to it.  My brain needs the engagement and I'm hoping it will also help with the weight reduction because I will be more occupied during the day.  It could be the opposite though because its going to be harder to get workouts in and some days it becomes impossible to eat and so I end up ravenous and we all know what happens then - if its edible I'll eat it... mmm glue...

But I have a plan, I'm hoping to work out Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Mon and Thurs will be after work, Neil is just going to have to pick the kids up from care and do the evening routine without me.  I know chances are this will mean two minute noodles for dinner and no bath, but yanno I think I'm ok with that.  And if I'm super organised I can make their dinner the night before so he can give them other stuff.  Wednesday is my easy day, I don't start teaching until 2pm.  So I figure I can workout in the morning and just take the work I would normally do home with me (grading, ah joy).  The only flaw in the plan is that I actually hate working out in the evenings, I'm such a morning exerciser.  So we'll see.  I'm hoping to get around this by signing up for a yoga or pilates workshop that is on the Monday night (when the next one starts, not sure when that actually is).

And I'm going to buy fruit to take and leave in my office on a Monday so I can eat it.  I figure I can munch on a banana while walking to a class. I just have to make sure I eat all the fruit or take it home at the end of the week.  Tuesday and Thursday are the hard days because those are the days I have heavy teaching.  Tuesday I start at 9 and no break until 1.  Then 2-5.  And between 1 and 2 I usually have things I need to do but hopefully I can make it office things and eat while working.

So yes, back to work in just over a week.  Which means I need work clothes!  While I spend a good portion of my day wearing a labcoat I still have to wear clothes under it, and I'm too small for all my clothes.  So I spent the day shopping, and actually got to the stage where I couldn't stand shopping.  You know why?  There.Are.Too.Many.Options!!! 

I'm no longer limited to that little section for the plus size, I can buy off the rack in normal stores.  I was like a kid in a candy store, who soon got a sore stomach because there was too much.  But I ended up with a swag of clothes.

3 x skirts
2 x pants
2 x shirts
2 x shoes (ok so I didn't really need new shoes, but hey, um, I needed them!)
1 x gym shorts
2 x bras and panties
4 x stockings
3 x camisoles
2 x necklaces
1 x scarf
2 x jackets

Um, yep I think that's it.  I need to get a few more shirts, but I have a few already that I can wear for work so its not a major.

500 miles for 2012

So I just joined this challenge over at 3fc, oh man.  Its doable, but a huge goal.  That is 804km in a year, or 15.5km p/w, 67 p/month.  Jan I checked my log and I did 53.7, this month only 21.3 to date.  I've got a lot of miles to log!  Of course a lot of my work outs this month has been swimming hence the big drop.

I jumped on the spin bike today, I actually really enjoyed it, I was sweating after just 10min.  Definitely going to do it more as part of my work out, I'm over the elliptical it seems.

Damn I hate my stomach.  

Sunday 19 February 2012

Its not just the wall, its the ceiling

So I am sick of trying to lose weight.  I'm not getting anywhere because I don't have the motivation any more of watching what I eat.  Exercise wise I'm doing great, I can run 25min, and pretty sure if I tried I could run 30.  Almost finished the c25k awesome!  But if anything the last three months has really emphasised that weight reduction is 90% diet, 10% exercise. 

On a Monday I weigh in and then I work out and for three days I usually do well.  Then I have four days where I don't work out (kids home, then weekend) and I don't watch what I eat and instead of listening to my body I eat more than I need to.  For example last night after dinner I wasn't hungry but Neil had a snack so I had one.  Its that mindless eating that is doing it.

And the truth is, after a year of thinking about it I'm just tired.  I wish I was happy with my accomplishment so I could just say yep I'm here lets just maintain.  But I'm not.  Will I ever be?  Who knows.  But right now I am stuck at 87kg.  I go down to 85 and then back up.  Bounce bounce bounce.  Its frustrating, what I really want to see is 84, I feel like breaking that barrier would be so amazing, but its still not enough to push myself, to make myself accountable for everything I eat.

So what now?  Probably no changes, I'll keep trudging.  I've hit the wall for motivation and as my beauty therapist said I've hit the ceiling as well because I've lost so much weight that to keep going I need to really increase my calorie deficit.  Some days I'm enthused, others (like today) dejected.  And so I trudge...

Saturday 11 February 2012

Back from the rock, Niue that is...

We're back from vacation, and an amazing week it was.

Friday arrived in Niue around midday to intense heat (around 85, coming from low 70s made worse by moving from air conditioned plane to the heat of the tarmac). Got the rental car and drove to the resort. Matavai is the most upmarket place on the island, but by western standards it was like a really nice motel but not a wow resort. Although location omg to die for. And staff, brilliant.

Niue is a gorgeous and the people amazing. But some things never ceased to amaze me, like derelict houses everywhere and chickens just running around. There were even chickens in the airport. Its not third world, I guess its developing world. They have to import so much because the island is small (you can drive around the whole thing within 2hrs doing 35m/h speed limit) and is a coral atoll so very little grows food wise. But there is so much to do, it is so beautiful and we are intending on going back.

There is little crime on the island, only around 1400 people so its sort of a case of everyone knows everyone. The locals got to know us, we'd get greeted warmly when we returned somewhere (partly because we had little blonde kids so we stood out!). The people are so trusting there is a self service bar (you just get your own drink and put the money in the till) and one cafe we went to we arrived just as they were opening so the guy was like just help yourself to the bar I'm just getting the kitchen sorted.

View from our room at Matavai


One of the pools at Matavai


In the pool after a day in the ocean instead of having a shower we just jumped in the pool


While there cyclone Jasmine gave us a wee kiss (70km+ winds), it was exciting with a slight hint of danger. Seeing the locals boarding up and listening to the winds was incredible. In 2004 they had a cyclone that created a surge wave that managed to sweep 200m inland, which is amazing considering the wave had to get over a 35 feet cliff first. Still even with Jasmine we got a chance to see waves crashing so high up the cliffs the power was scary. Pics don't do it justice, nor does the video. I'm being blown around so much you can see from how the camera jiggles.




Matapa Chasm, this use to be the reserved spot for the chiefs to swim. Alas the day we went the weather was drizzly (tail end of cyclone Jasmine)



Lizards everywhere. Each morning we'd open our room and there would usually be around 4 lizards hanging out on the roof enjoying bugs. A short walk down to the restaurant for breakfast we'd easily see 20 of these lil guys (size from 1-3inches).


Togulu Sea track (Tamakautoga village), an amazing spot especially for the kids. The fish came within 5cm of the shore, the water was so clear I just couldn't get over it. This pic is taken looking through the water (there are actually two fish there) while standing on the beach, it just looks like a photo of the beach.


One of the reef pools at Togulu. We got to see lots of different species of fish, sea snakes (very venomous, yet pretty impotent as they can't really bite you unless you try and shove your fingers down their throat, more a deterrent from anything eating them), sea cucumbers and crabs.


More Togulu pics


While driving the road at night you have to watch out for these guys, big crabs crossing the roads


When on a tropical island, one must drink cocktails!


The island is a coral atoll, all cliffs and coral, lots of caves (some of these are from Avaiki cave)




We didn't get a chance to go to some of the really popular places due to having the kids (steep slippery walks, deep pools etc) so our plan is to go back during the whale season (Humpbacks pass through from June-October, and you can see them in the bay at the resort) without the kids :) And silly me I didn't take the camera with us a couple of days so don't have pics from some other spots.