Challenge Week 1

My first week of the challenge was great. I struggled with the bulgarian squats (they are completely different than anything I have done before) and I was hurting. I kept on with them though woke up some of those core muscles that have been resting for a long time LOL. I dropped 1kg which is fantastic (only 4kg to go). The body fat stayed the same. I know I said I wouldn’t look at the scales, but I can’t help it LOL. Also, considering I haven’t done any cardio (due to bulking up), I managed a good 20 minutes on the cross trainer followed by a 3.5km run (interval training) so I am pretty pleased with myself. My sister is also doing the challenge with me so having a training partner at last is a huge bonus.

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I love cardio days (just in case you didn’t already know that LOL). I managed to do a 5km run this morning (with sore legs). My intention was to do a good 45mins of fast paced walking on the treadmill but some of the music I have on my shuffle made me want to run (do you ever get that? LOL). I couldn’t help it - I just put the incline back to 0 and increased the speed to 12kph and ran. It was great :). I went back later with my sister to do our usual Wednesday night cycle class and it was so hot in there again. I was hoping that they would have finished the new cycle room over Christmas but it doesn’t look like anything has been done yet. It was great to get back on the bike though and I certainly worked up a sweat. The fans didn’t even reach where we were. It’s supposed to be 41 degrees tomorrow so I am glad the gym has air-conditioning

You can never do too much cardio can you LOL. I decided that I would do another day of cardio in the gym before we head off on our two week holiday. I can’t describe the satsifaction I get of doing a really good workout other than it makes you want to go back and do more LOL. I suppose only I will ever understand that - I know my family all look at me with their heads to the side. I ended up running 12.5kms today (6.5 in the morning and the other 6km when I went back later in the day). It was well worth it and I feel good for doing it. It’s been raining quite heavily where we are so I am really hoping the weather on our holiday is clear so I can go for my morning jog. Keep your fingers crossed for me

Today was my cardio day and it started off well with a 6km run at the gym. I seem to have found my pace - all I need to do now is get some decent music that I can run to. I am still trying to work out what bpm tunes I need to get. I am thinking somewhere between 140-150 will be best. Once I work that out, I’ll be able to get a disc and upload something onto the shuffle. It gets painful having to continually press the next button while I’m running. Cycle class was awesome (as usual) - Our instructor asked if anyone needed a rest because it got quite hot in the cycle room (again) - I say “No way - Bring it on!!” If only the classes went for longer - they are just so much fun.

Do you know how hard it is for me to skip a cardio session? (no, I don’t suppose you do - silly question really). Well I didn’t go for my usual Wednesday morning run as I was a bit stiff in the legs and thought it was probably best that I give them a bit of rest (especially considering I had cycle class later on LOL). My legs are still in a state of shock and no doubt will be until Monday next week. They actually aren’t too bad if I keep them moving but it was a well deserved rest I think. Cycle class was good - not as good as it usually is but that is probably because my normal instructor wasn’t there. Which, by the way, I only found out last night that my husband knows the instructor (they went to school together). Small world hey? Anyway, my legs should feel a bit better tomorrow for my Thursday workout - should be good

Well day 15 was a good day - I did a hard weights session at the gym in the morning and an even harder cardio session later that night. I really wanted to push myself to see just how fast and far I could run in 30 minutes. I ran my 5km in just under 27 minutes which is awesome. The only downside to it was I had an audience of a few young guys. I caught them watching when I checked over my shoulder to see where my sister was at and then they decided that the treadmill beside me was a good place to hang out. I suppose I should be flattered but it was really off-putting. They got over their fascination after about 10 minutes and left me to it. Lets hope I can get through it tomorrow night by myself LOL.

Well I trained hard today - really hard. I could feel myself shake and literally had no strength left at the end of my reps. My trainer wasn’t there to see how hard I trained though but he would have been happy with what I did. I went back later for my cardio session and I ran really fast. Amazingly though, it was a comfortable run, if you know what I mean. I think I have found my tempo LOL. I made sure I downloaded a heap of good rock songs on my shuffle and just got on with what I had to do. I didn’t even get a chance to peep at the time - before I knew it, the treadmill had started to slow up for my cool-down. I’m sure I could have ran longer - but I didn’t (give me a chance - can’t do too much yet). I am getting hooked again though - I can just feel it LOL

Well, it’s a new week, I’m all fresh from a restful weekend and am 2kg lighter I weighed myself this morning - more out of curiosity than anything and was pleasantly surprised at what I saw. It made my whole workout even more enjoyable. It’s a great feeling to know that all the hard work is paying off. My program today was good - I wasn’t as tired as I used to be and was able to put a bit more grunt into each set. Not sure what the rest of the gym thought about the noises I was making though LOL. I went back later and did a 5km run for my cardio session (well I am really 40 metres short of 5km so tomorrow night I will up the anti and see if I can pass the 5km mark). Shouldn’t be a problem

Now, I have been asked to post a picture - Am not to sure about that just yet but will see if I can get a decent shot

Cardio is probably one of my favourite things. Although as much as I love it, I hate how boring it can get LOL. Luckily there are enough machines at the gym that I can break up the monotony of it all and switch machines - I do cardio after each weights workout but 3 days a week I do just cardio - at the moment it is a 2km row and then 15 mins on the stepper, cross-trainer, treadmill & bike. I am absolutely knackered afterward and wish someone could drive me home LOL. Funny thing is, about 2 hours after I have come home and eaten everything in sight because I am soooo hungry, I want to go back. I always wonder if anyone else feels like that - that they haven’t trained? I ran out of energy though this morning - might need to change what I eat before I go.