Week One Sunday

What a week!

This week has been about "Fundamentals": getting to know the website, trying out recipes and stocking the freezer, and learning the basic exercises that make up the workouts.  There is a lot of information in videos and articles about nutrition, how the program is set up, what you need to have access to, and how to get the most out of the program.

I have to say, this week has also been about finding glitches!  I feel for the technical staff behind the scenes who have also had many 'suggestions' for improvement.  

I've bypassed the meal planning feature on the site as I want to store the recipes and have access to meal planning beyond this program.  I use a site called "Plan to Eat".  It's not free, but hardly expensive.

I've had a pretty full on day, beginning with budgeting, finishing my meal plan, doing the shopping, prepping lunches for the week, doing my fitness test and benchmark workout, and then some more prepping after dinner!

I also did three loads of washing!

I should have some exciting news over the next two weeks.  So excited!

Week One: Wednesday

Excited much!?!

I've got a pretty good set-up going with my home gym now, as well as a gym membership.

Meal plans come out tomorrow.  The recipes so far have looked awesome, and the ones I have cooked have all been really great!  Huge servings for the meals, and great tasting snacks!

Today was good, got out for a run/walk for a total of over 15000 steps for the day.

Food wise not so great.  I had no electricity at home so although I had a good breakfast (eggs, spinach, feta), I had a grilled chicken burger from McDonalds for lunch.  I had 3 cups of tea over the day, 5 spring rolls for dinner (homemade, not cooked in oil), and then a handful of flavoured chips for dessert.  I just had a hot chocolate, and a small tin of baked beans.

Not so great but not horrendous either!

My brain is getting ahead of itself with super plans to do the GCF workout in the morning, running in the afternoon.  That is so not going to work, but it wouldn't hurt to do it occasionally.

I guess I've just realised the time-frame and to get to my ideal weight by my 40th I have to hit a kg per week of weight loss, as well as getting a bit of muscle in the process.  A little unrealistic!  6-10kg would be a fantastic result and I'm hoping for 14kg? 

No matter how much I say I want to be healthy, fact is, I want to look good AND be healthy!

But I do know that numbers mean very little in the real world.  I am going to stick to the plan.  Get as active as possible, eat to the plan, meet my other commitments, get enough sleep, and take time out to relax and de-stress.

I can do this!

Speaking of which.. I need to go to bed!

Week One Tuesday

I was going to start this post with, "I've been a bit slack today, no exercise and take-out for dinner.", but I changed my mind.

I did stay up too late last night.. It was midnight by the time I fell asleep.  No excuses, I stayed up watching a hilarious movie and loved every minute of it.

Until I woke up tired.

Until I realised the kids used the last of the milk for cereal so I couldn't even have a cup of tea!

I had a great breakfast though, spinach and feta in scrambled eggs.

I put in a solid four hours in the lab, even if half of it was a huge fail!

I had a great lunch.. The chicken cattitorie recipe (no cauliflower rice though).

Then I organised school stuff for my eldest, picked up the younger boys, did half an hour of chores, went to school interview for eldest, and sent hubby out for takeout for dinner.

We cleaned up afterward, and I watched a couple of tv shows.

I watched the video for GCF for today - all stuff I've done before and don't have any technical issues with.

While I am enjoying a hot chocolate drink right now, I'm thinking it might be my last for while.  I want to get out of the habit of milky drinks.  So I guess I'm up for a good nights sleep!

Oh, and I'm going okay on the patches still.  Down to level two which I think is a good place right now. I'm still battling that thing in my head that says, "I'm tired, just have one and I'll feel better".  There is always that part of my psyche that wants to stays the same, wants me to relax, to just be me, to take the easy way because I don't need to change.  

I don't need to change, but I want to, because that is who I am!  I'm not changing me, just what I do!

Week One

Not quite the 'lift off' I was expecting!

But that is probably a good thing - fundamentals are important.

Like the squat.  I have discovered today that my squats, which have never been good, are now really bad!  My flexibility is horrendous!

No where near parallel, too much butt, and my back is certainly not upright!

I've looked up some flexibility exercises for my ankles, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, and lower back.  Lots of gentle stretching this week, as well as squating, and I hope to see some improvement. 

I do worry that as the week continues it will only highlight more issues in flexibility.

So this week I move, I move often and with vigour.