I'm pretty happy with how my training at the gym has gone this year but the two things giving me the most trouble are consistency and ensuring I am working out my body evenly.
So often I have a really good few days / weeks where I get to the gym frequently and have great workouts and feel fantastic. And then something comes up (usually work) and I don't make it to the gym for a few days, and because I'm busy I start eating take away because it's convenient and I can't be bothered going to the shops, start drinking red bull or coffee because it gives me a buzz when I'm tired, and then because of all the sugar I've consumed my energy plummets and the last thing I feel like doing is going to the gym at all. So I don't, and then all of a sudden a couple of weeks have flown by, I haven't done any exercise at all and the nice muscles that were starting to build go all wobbly and I feel like I can't fit into my own skin anymore, let alone my clothes.
It's usually at this point after a bit of moping around that I manage to rustle up some motivation and haul myself off to gym. I always feel heaps better afterwards. I try doing work outs that I've pulled out of magazines or read in books, they always wear me out, make me sweat like a pig and for the most part I go as hard as I can. However I can't help but feel that I'm not working my whole body. I find some exercises far easier than others and tend to go hardcore with the easy ones, and struggle my way through a set of the difficult ones. The cycle starts all over again and I train well for a few days, and then I get busy.
This is where Michelle Bridges comes into it.
I'd seen an add for the Michelle Bridges 12 week body transformation a couple of weeks ago. I clicked on the link and had a bit of a read through the site and it sounded fabulous. I don't see myself as fat, but I'd certainly like to shift a couple of kg's and tone up all over. This program sounded like it could help me to do just that in a really straight forward format and more importantly in a healthy way. So long story short I'm all signed up and ready to start the 12WBT www.12wbt.com on 16th January 2012. What appealed most about the program is that thousands of others are doing it so there is plenty of support, lots of emails relating to weekly nutrition plans, exercise plans and motivational plans. I think the stream of incoming information will give me the push I need to remain consistent and am less likely to give up after a couple of weeks.
Anyway, since signing up for the 12wbt I've been super pumped about getting fit and having a toned bikini ready body for the summer. I've decided to give myself a head start and do what I can prior to starting the program to get into the best shape I can be in. I've been going to the gym or utilising the environment available to me to do some form of exercise every day, even when I feel tired and would rather crash on the couch. Sometimes it can be hard to force yourself to do it, but once you get going its much easier, and I do love that feeling afterwards knowing that I took the time to do something good for me.
Michelle has already set one challenge, and that is to take 1 step towards a healthier lifestyle. She listed lots of different suggestions, but the thing I have decided to do is eliminate soft drink from my diet. I'm not a huge soft drink person normally but I am certainly very partial to drinking coke zero a few times a week, red bull when I get tired and on a really hot day lemonade.
So yes, I'm off to a great start.
And an even better start, when I happened to be in the right spot at the right time and met Michelle Bridges and got a personally signed copy of her Crunch Time Recipe Book. She was so lovely and had the most amazing body. Meeting her has spurred me on even more to really give this whole thing a go and come out at the other end looking FABULOUS!!
So over the next few weeks I will be reporting on how I am going with the pre season of the 12wbt. I think by writing about my experiences will also help to embed what I learn along the way and down the track help me to define my areas of weakness. I will be loosely basing my training on the principles of Bikini Bootcamp and also Loosing the last 5kgs by Michelle Bridges.
So here's to the new me! A lean and strong Running Cat.
Merry Christmas.
RC.
