Saturday 10th

Well I'm having a pretty lazy day so far... I got up, wandered to the sofa, and watched a movie from under my duvet. The movie was Fighting, if anyone is interested. It's directed by Dito Montiel, who I think is pretty brilliant. Any way the movie kind of made me want to get up off my ever-widening arse, and do something. I'm feeling really unsociable at the moment, so didn't want to go to the gym. In the end I switched the PC on, and found a bodyweight workout on an email from Turbulence Training. I think it was one from Holly Rigsby, who has a blog called Fit Yummy Mummy. It sounds naff, but there's some good stuff on there. Wow, there are a lot of links in this post!

So this is the workout...

Y squats x 12
Push ups x 10
Prisoner lunges x 10 each side
Mountain climbers (same as sprintees I think) x 30
3 sets

And then some abs (also from Holly Rigsby)
Side plank reach-through x 5 each side
Cross body mountain climber x 16
Weighted side twists with a 4kg weight x 12
3 sets

I need to get my hands on some bigger weights so that I can do more stuff at home in the mornings before work!

I've also been doing some "negative" chin-ups, where you start at the top and lower yourself slowly. I want to increase my upper body strength so I'm doing those with various grips, and also body rows. I try to do something every time I'm home and think about it, as I feel like I had my brother put that bar up in my doorway and I've hardly used it!

Am now listening to a Turbulence Training coaching call, the guy has just mentioned that if you keep a note of what you eat, or take photos, or post it on a blog or whatever, you're x-percentage more likely to succeed with a healthy eating plan.
Every time I see my trainer she hands me a food diary. And every time, I fill in that day, maybe some of the following day... and then I either lose it, or keep telling myself I'll write this down "later" until I'm left trying to remember 3 or 4 days' worth of food and there's no point. I have been posting photos of my food on here - but generally I only post the good stuff, not the chocolate bars or the junk.

Any way today I'm trying out the Eat Stop Eat principal, I think I've mentioned it on here before. The basic idea is that you fast all day and only have your evening meal, and do that however many times a month you feel comfortable. I'm going to try it today and see how I feel. Not too keen on doing too much while I'm not eating, just in case I pass out or something in front of everyone! I did have a bottle of Coke this morning (I know, I know, it's bad bad bad), but so far that's it apart from water. Am going to work for an hour or so in a bit, and will buy some food etc on my way back to cook for tea tonight. The main aim is to eat dinner, then clean my teeth and NOT eat junk all evening! Might even try to fit in another workout this afternoon, if I'm not too delirious from lack of food! Will report back on the whole fasting thing, if anyone has comments/ideas (other than telling me not to do it) feel free to yell!

Thursday 9th

I've had a really productive day, exercise-wise. My eating has been... well, it was good until I got home and remembered I had strawberry & cream cookies in the cupboard!

Any way, I've been to the gym twice today, and also did a little workout this evening (to make up for some of the cookie scandal)

I had a PT session this morning, but couldn't remember whether it was at 7 or 7:30. I didn't want to be late, so I got to the gym for 6:45. Then I remembered the session was at 7:30. I had time to kill, so I headed for the cardio machines...

cross trainer 5 mins level 5
reclining bike 5 mins level 5
stepper 5 mins on interval program, level 6
treadmill 5 mins on gradient interval program, level 7
cross trainer 6 mins of 1-minute intervals

When it came to my PT session, I had to admit that my balancing has left a lot to be desired... and I've mainly just chickened out of that side of my program! Cue a lesson in balance from the girl who can stand on a stability ball and dance!

reverse BOSU squats x 20 (this is where the BOSU is upside down. Half the battle is getting on the damn thing!)
front-side lunges x 10 each leg
stability ball balancing - I managed it in the end, a few times, on my own, nowhere near the wall. Need more practise tho!
stork stance

Then we ran through various parts of my program, putting my weights up as we went...

BOSU lunges x 12 each leg (8kg x 2)
single leg deadlifts x 12 each leg (14kg) (some idiot was using the 12kg dumbells, I could have killed him!)
split stance low row x 12 each arm (10kg)

I went back to the gym at lunch with a couple of buddies to do Gym Train. This is a circuit the trainer set up for us with the idea we time ourselves to do each exercise, improve over time, and compete against each other after 6 weeks to see who could complete the entire circuit in the shortest time. The 6 weeks finished a long time ago, but whenever we're free we'll try and get back into the gym to give it a go. I used to call it the Monster Class Of Doom. There's a reason for that...

treadmill - 500m in 3.06 mins
upright bike - 1.5km in 3.16 mins
shoulder press - 15 x 8kg
rowing - 500m in 2.26 mins
full sit-ups x 20
step-ups - 2 x 6kg, 5 steps x 20
bench jumps - 3 steps, x 20

Then, as mentioned before, I came home and found some cookies. I've been watching the Turbulence Training semiar on the website, and felt a bit more motivated after some of that, so I had a look on Gym Junkies to find some exercises I could do at home. I ended up finding the Man Maker so I thought I'd give that a go. I only did girlie press-ups cos, well, I'm a girl. And I used piddly 2kg weights, not the 20 pounders Vic recommends in the video - mainly because that's all I had.

The idea is that you do as many as you can in 8 minutes. So I set a timer. After 10 I thought I might pass out. Checked the time, only 3 minutes in. So on I ploughed. I managed 27, which I think is a good first attempt. Might try and keep track of these from time to time, see if I can get any better. Then I did some abs:

weighted side twists x 12 (2kg)
reverse crunch x 12
double heel tap (legs straight) x 12
vertical lifts x 12 (2kg)

3 sets - each set with no rest between exercises.

Wednesday 8th

Today I did lunch time Spin. It seemed a lot more hardcore than normal, really tiring! My hamstrings are still aching from Monday and Tuesday too so it was a bit tricky!

Am now watching a Turbulence Training seminar which is very interesting.

The eating is getting better; I'm still substituting other fizzy drinks for Coke, but that's easing off. And I'm still craving sweet things but getting better at ignoring it. It's easier at home in the evenings because I can clean my teeth and then find something different to do! At work I just have to sit at my desk and ride it out... perhaps I should start taking toothpaste and a toothbrush to work!

Sunday 5th

No exercise as such today - though I did do the first part of the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Stage 1 workout - the strength part. I found it on YouTube but the cardio was missing and I got distracted by other things so I didn't get round to finding it.

I also spent a ridiculous amount of time bouncing on my knees on a trampoline this afternoon, entertaining my niece who is too small to make it bounce herself so likes to lay on her back while someone else bounces it for her!

I've discovered the joy of YouTube as a motivator and fitness aid. This lady is especially motivating, she lost a shedload of weight and posted weekly videos to chart her progress, with extra ones about what exercise she does, what she eats etc. I've also been looking at Turbulence Training a lot too recently, as well as my old faithful, Vic Magary's Gym Junkies website.

Last month (June) was the first month in a long time that I've not hit the goal I set in terms of how much exercise I would do. My diet was pretty shocking too. This month I really need to get back to it, eat better and exercise more. Am off work tomorrow so am planning to spend a good portion of time in the gym, maybe go for a run as well. Tuesday is Body Pump, Wednesday Spin, Thursday I have a PT session and may run too, Friday is Spin, which I may skip in favour of doing my program, so that I can do both Spin and Body Pump on Saturday. Am a little anxious about doing my program to be honest, since I fell off a gym ball earlier in the week - but I figure the only way I'll get better at that is to keep trying and hopefully fall on my ass less!