No pain no gain! Day 2

I woke up this morning and I felt like I had been thrown down a flight of stairs! Every muscle in my body aches! And it feels so good!

The last couple of times I did Rushfit and got to week 7 and 8 I remember not really feeling it the next day, mainly because I was over training and a bit injured and not eating properly, but also because I was going through the motions of the exercises and not feeling it the next day. This is because it's all in the technique. The importance of engaging the correct muscles in the correct ways is easily forgotten when you are on the 40th day of a work out programme.

Other than technique, the next thing to focus on is stretching after the workout. I used to teach yoga about ten years ago so I know the importance of a good stretch. As much as I love the Rushfit programme, the cool down is the bare minimum for stretching and it's important to listen to your body to know which muscle groups you need to concentrate on after your work out.

My other consideration today is nutrition. I am worried about not having the correct fuel for my body because the last time, you may recall that it did not go well for me. I do not want to repeat that and I want to make sure that my body has what it needs to repair itself between workouts. As I already have calcification in a few of my tendons, I need to be vary careful on the supplement front. But I will be heading out today to see what I need to stock up on.

As for today's workout, it's all a bit of a blur. I can't remember 2 or the first 3 rounds and quite enjoyed round 4 but round 5, a,ways has been and still is a mystery for me. There are very few things I don't think I will ever achieve in life, a sit through is definitely on of them. Either I don't have the upper body strength or my arms are not long enough, even the hand boost position doesn't work for me. But overall, I was just glad to get it over with as the first week a,ways is the hardest. 

2 down... Only 54 to go!

Shoes, shoes, shoes! Day 1 of 56.

I was excited and nervous in equal measure leading up to todays workout so I did what I normally do when I am nervous and bought a new out fit! Woo hoo! So let me introduce my first outfit!

I have just retired an absolutely great pair of Nike Zoom trainers. I need additional instep support so they were really good, and despite constant use, lasted just over 12 months although, that might have been more to do with the fact that I was really attached to them. The added benefit of the Nike+ chip and my iphone made these trainers some of the best training shoes I have used in a while.

On the clothes front I have been wearing Nike Dri Fit. The fit is good, the support is great and the clothes last. One of my Nike Dri Fit sets has been going strong for 3 years with very regular use and washing. I will be using these until my new Under Armour, Nike and Adidas sets arrive.

But all good things come to an end, so I have moved to an Asics shoes. After breaking them in on a Christmas shopping trip and jaunt around Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, I decided that today was the day to put them to proper use. The only two things about these shoes that stick out at the moment is that they don't have a place for my Nike+ chip and I will need to buy a different insole for them as the existing one is pretty basic.

Todays workout was pretty hard going, even the warm up was hard going and I am already having to vary the exercises to protect my shoulder from getting worse, but its important to train smart and protect yourself, so I am starting out easy. By the second round I was well on the way to being tired out and by  round 5 I was glad to get down to the floor to rest my weary legs. But Georges and Eriks constant motivational comments and encouragement really really helped. So day 1, done!

The last time I did Rush Fit, I did not pay enough attention to the dietary elements of the programme and therefore didn't get the results I was hoping for, although today was a little hit or miss... there were some Oreo cookies and some Terry's Chocolate Orange on my diet sheet today that shouldn't have been but remarkably I stayed under my 1500 calorie limit.

On the eating side of things, I will be aiming to take in between 1200 and 1500 calories a day, without getting to caught up in limiting myself.

If you start like a lion....

It's been a crazy and long few months for me. If you read my last post in July, you will probably have realised that I wasn't doing too good.

I was diagnosed with calcification of the tendons in my shoulders as well as being very tired, run down, emotional and generally out of control. After seeing a large number of doctors, I was diagnosed with some fairly large non cancerous tumours which turned out to be the cause of most of the issues. Now I have had an operation and put on a course of medication to sort things out, I think it's about time I got after it again and started on the Rush Fit Intermediate programme.

In addition I will be training using different fitness equipment and clothes to see if what you wear makes a difference to how effective your work out is. The brands that I will be focusing on are Nike, Under Armour, Adidas and Asics.

So where am I...

I have maintained a reasonable level of fitness through occasional jogging and yoga classes, but I have not really done any resistance training so I have lost some muscle tone and definition. I have probably gained about 10 pounds and honestly, it feels awful! I have not gone up a dress size or anything, but things are definitely a little tighter than they were a few months ago, so it is the perfect time to start on Rush Fit once again!

Today an official Rush Fit blog post talked about the importance of setting goals. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely and with this is mind I have decided that my goal is to loose between 16 and 20 pounds within the next 8 weeks. I will do this, with a combination of diet and exercise and while my main method will be Rush Fit, I will be paying more attention to my body and probably substituting the occasional Rush Fit session with a swim or a yoga class.

With this in mind, maybe you are reading along and thinking you want to undertake a fitness programme or start trying to loose some extra holiday so why not come on the journey with me? Let's get after it!

No really.... I mean it this time!

**There is no medical advice in this blog and if you think that you are verging on an eating disorder, please talk to someone** 

Losing control is a difficult thing to face. The last time I did Rushfit, the first 5 weeks were amazing but the problem was that I was getting ill and injured and couldn't see the woods for the trees. I realised over the past month or so that I was so stressed out about my life, my job, my relationship, my flat situation, finances and lots and lots of other bits and pieces, I was using Rushfit to effectively beat myself up. The aim was that as long as I did it, everything was fine. This clearly wasn't the case this time.

As I slowly scaled back Rushfit, I started making some really unhealthy choices bordering on developing an eating disorder. This was not my intention at any point, but having felt like I had made good progress fitness wise and not losing enough weight, I became scared of food. I didn't know what to eat anymore. Fruit is sugar, carbs are bad. bananans are carbs.... but wait they're sugar... only when they are brown! WTF!

So I did what any self respecting girl does in this situation! Started boozing and partying and having a nice time! I also spoke to my nutritionist who is also a very patient and understanding man and helped a lot!

Good news, my confidence is back and I feel a lot better than I have done for a while! But Iwant my immense press up skills back again..... so here we go! Rushfit.... here I come!

Rush Fit - The next level...

Okay, so it's been a few weeks since I embarked on my Rush Fit journey of self abuse and absolute agony and what are the results??? Not great. I have put on weight. How much I don't know, but I feel bulkier that I did and things hurt all the time that didn't hurt before. However there is every chance that this is a temporary problem brought on with erratic amounts of exercise and my body is maybe just in a little bit of shock. Anyway, that is not the point. The point is, I feel really bloody fit! My recovery rate is down significantly and my press ups are pretty impressive, even if I do say so my self. But over all I am less happy because I haven't lost weight!

So... what is the plan now? Well, intermediate level of course!!! But this time I seriously need to manage my food intake more effectively. This is a marathon not a sprint and I have learned a lot of lessons from the last time I attempted to become Rush Fit. So from now on, there will be more meal planning and less boozing!

So here we go! One more time from the top!

Week 6

Well as I get closer to the end of the 8 (okay 9) week challenge of becoming 'rushfit' I feel like its not gone all that well.

On Monday of this week, I was due to complete the Fight Conditioning workout but because of work and availability of space, I was forced to swap it up and do Cardio instead. Then... during my high intensity cycle, hit my knee off the corner of the bike and really hurt it. So then I had to swap Wednesday's day off with Tuesday and now I am planning on doing the fight conditioning workout tonight.

Between this and the tendonitis catastrophe and having to repeat a week I feel like I have lost the momentum.

Although the workouts are doing a great job in tightening up my arms and legs, I am not feeling like the core work is really having that great an effect my abs or back and have decided to swap out the straight up / sit ups for another type of crunch that will be more effective.

Maybe I started at a level that wasn't good enough to do the moves in the correct way and while I do feel fitter I certainly don't feel like I have achieved 2/3's of the rushfit goal.

The diet that I have been following has been a little hit and miss but overall my calorie intake has been significantly lower than that recommended by the rushfit nutrition plan. Although I have not followed the timings of the meals as well as I would have liked.

But I am nothing if not committed to improving my technique and getting better results so I will keep you posted.

I think that the secret might be cardio and a lot of it, which makes me think that the intermediate level programme is the one I should have started from the beginning. But I am going to give this until the end of week 8 then take a week off before undertaking the intermediate programme!

Week 5, Day 4 (Take 2)

As per the injury and the sore knees and shoulders I have opted for a slight alteration to rushfit.

An increase in Cardio (10 mins of reasonably intense cycling prior to warm up) and substituting some of the exercises that will have a negative effect on the shoulders and knees seems to be working well.

I have also opted for a low carb diet over the past week. So I am looking forward to finding out tomorrow how it is going!

The Goal

For the past 5 weeks I have been asked regularly... What's your goal.

And I lost it for a while there as my response was Rushfit is my goal. What about after Rushfit? More Rushfit. Well that's just not a goal.

So here it is sports fans... My goal is to lose 30lbs between now and July 22nd. Which coincides with my 30th Birthday.

This gives me 10 weeks and no leeway to stick to something!

Easter Hols

Well it turns out that too much of a good thing can be bad for you and as a result I got some tendonitis and had to rest myself for a few days to get past it. The recommendation was 1 week, but I decided 4 days would be plenty and finally got back to Rushfit on Tuesday.

Another problem is that despitew planning to lose weight I am putting it on. Fair enough I am Reducing my body fat but I am feeling too chunky in the thighs and shoulders.... Probably because of all the pressups and squats.

In response, I have talked tommy nutritionist and am now doing a low carb diet and increasing cardio. I will also be skipping a few exercises from Rushfit to ease off the joints. Anything that puts too much pressure on my knees or shoulders is being reduced by about 20 percent to ensure I don't enrage the tendonitis.

Despite the aches and pains, it felt incredible to get back to working out, 4 days off was just rubbish and it's amazing how thenlethargysinks in. I have also learned that pineapple has stuff in it that is really good for joint inflammation and tomatoes, peppers and potatoes are really bad for joint inflammation.

I am gutted I have failed to complete the programme in the way that was intended so I have decided to repeat week 5 and complete Rushfit in 9 weeks. But I am concerned that I should be adding an additional week 5 as punishment. But I have been assured that continuing would have caused more harm than good.

Onwards and upwards.

DAY OFF DAY OFF DAY OFF

If it didn't say it on the programme i wouldn't believe it. But today is a day off. Incredible timing considering I am flying back to Glasgow today and wouldn't really have the time. But 4 weeks ago when I was just starting Rushfit I was worried that going home was going to derail my efforts. This weekend, I am not worried at all.

I might even go back to my old gym and say hello to the folks in there! I am sure they won't mind.

Anyway, despite all my grumpy chat of late, it probably is worth it.... and on the up side, there is only Thursday, Friday and Saturday left of this week and then there are only 3 weeks left! Woo hoo!

I am so nearly rushfit!

Day 30

Well haven't I just been a barrel of laughs all week? Eh, not so much! I am a total Grumpy Grumperson! And day 30 was no exception.

This is a total grind. Everything aches and far from feeling like I have loads of energy and feel amazing, I am permanently exhausted. Day 31 is a day off and thank goodness for that because if it wasn't I would seriously struggle.

There is something fulfilling in knowing that there is only 25 days left or whatever but between me wanting to rip a guys head off because he crossed my path in the gym, the disney haired f*ckwit and the weight gain. I am starting to wonder if its really worth it.

Maybe its better to be a happy fatty than a skinny monster??? But probably not!

A food diary might lie... the numbers do not.

Okay, so this was a bad week and I knew it all along.

I ate cake. I ate ice cream. I drank wine. I lied about it to the nutritionist. I did this because I naively thought, as long as your exercising it doesn't matter what you eat. Well that's not actually true and I am massively disappointed because not only was last week hell, it was a waste of time! Dammit!

So yeah, I put on a kilo and some or all of it was fat. Ho hum!

But yesterday (except the 3 glasses of wine after work) was the beginning of a new me and this time next week, I am going to be delighted with my incredible results!

Remembering to Listen

It was no secret that last weeks Rushfit kicked my ass! Compared to the previous week where I actually moved house, last week was worse. Much worse. But yesterday I decided to turn over a new leaf and started listening to the dvd's instead of just going through the motions of the exercises. This involves watching the whole video and listening to the chit chat at the end that I had been ignoring for the past couple of weeks.

The difference is immense because its important to keep in mind, why your putting yourself through this and to remember to keep it in context. When going through the DVD, work out like your life depends on it and know that its only going to last for 30 minutes.

When GSP and the team congratulate each other at the end, congratulate yourself and take on board your accomplishment! The pain and the exhaustion are temporary and the long term effects are not. All those hints are within the DVD's and reinforced throughout.

I am meeting Behar, the nutritionist today to get week 4's results! Fingers crossed the week from hell paid off!

Half way to Rushfit!

Fridays workout and todays workout were actually grim. But they are done now and I am half way to rush fit! I am perpetually tired and hankering after chocolate but it's all good as I AM HALF WAY THERE!!!!

I guess I just need to figure out what the next goal is....

DAY 26!

I am 2 days away from being half way through the Rush Fit. And the wall has come down like it hasn't before. I am completely exhausted. Everything aches. And I am getting fed up. The results are okay, but the amount of effort required to get me into the gym has increased and although I am not skipping sessions, it feels like the road to rushfit is getting steeper!

Once I get the next two workouts finished and out of the way... I will be half way to rushfit!!!

I just need to use the next few days to figure out how I am going to make the next 4 weeks easier that the last week!

Only 3 days left this week!

Okay, its Thursday. I am over the hump and the end of the week is in sight.

My plan to come in early has been foiled by sleeping in and I will have to squeeze it in at the end of the day. In other bad news, todays workout is the full body beasting, my second least favourite of all of the Rushfit workouts.

By half way through the warm up I am questioning whether I can make it through but I have to hand it to GSP, he knows how to motivate you and Erik constantly encouraging you to 'get after it, only 30 seconds left.' Really helps. Erik is a dictator of fitness and getting through todays work out feels like a real team effort.

After the workout I had a really healthy dinner of Prawns and M&S Rainbow Salad. But gave in to temptation and ate chocolate cake and drank rose wine! IT WAS AMAZING! Although might have to lie to Behar about it on Tuesday!

I need to rediscover my will power!!!

Another early morning

Having been delayed by the Northern Line I finally got to work at about 9.15, a far cry from the 8am start at the gym I was hoping for but time for a workout anyway...

This morning is the day of the Abdominable work out. Its hard but enjoyable and I am in and out in record time. I am really getting into the hip heist sit ups and my technique is improving every time I do the work out!

I am tired though. Really really tired. All over!

All in the numbers

So we're back to Tuesday and the second week of numbers based results! I have lost 1kg of weight and 1.3kg of fat!

Having gone through my food diary with Behar and been somewhat judged by my fairly awful choices over the week, I was delighted. Bahar believes that exercise only accounts for about 25% of fitness with about 60% being attributable to your diet. But he is also a strong believer that all bodies are different and there aren't any hard and fast rules.

In order to reduce the judgement bestowed upon me, I didn't fully divulge my weeks food intake. For instance I didn't go into dealt on the chicken with rice being a Chinese takeout or the fact that I drank a whole bottle of Sauvinon Blanc on Sunday or the night that I skipped dinner I actually replaced dinner with beer, gin and cake! So when the results were announced, I agreed whole heatedly that I'd gotten away with it! But hey!!! It was my moving house and suffering from a cold.

However, as I said in my last blog, if I want results, I need to try harder.

I was toying with the idea of changing from the beginner to the intermediate plan, but then decided that was probably not advisable at the almost halfway mark, so instead I decided just to try harder with the current plan. By doing the occasional double rep on a squat thrust or using weights in the fight conditioning workout I will feel the benefit more.

He has advised I don't run as my cardio as I don't have the physique for it and will just injure my joints, I don't really agree but will reduce the running a little to make sure I don't injure myself.

Week 4, Day 1

So despite my best efforts to maintain the Rushfit, my eating was bad last week and having thought about some of the sessions, I feel that I might not have really given it my all.

Now yes, I had other things to worry about. But my initial buzz that I kept it up despite packing and moving and being a bit out of whack soon disappeared when I thought about it realised I am not feeling the post gym burn that I had been getting in the first few weeks. I toyed with upping my level to intermediate, and then I decided that mid programme that would be a bad idea.

But something's got to give for this to work.

In the past week I have been on the booze 4 nights out of 7 and fair enough, not like before Rushfit, but in a measured way where I might drink 2 or 3 drinks and call it a night. That mixed with not achieving my calorie count, eating too many carbs and generally disappointing myself and wasting all that effort has made me think of how I can do better this week!

So here is the plan..... This is the week of the improvement, I have dug out the nutrition guide again. And as for the workouts, I don't have the stamina to go to intermediate and my arm is too sore... so I am going to compromise.

Today was the start of week 4... some more fight conditioning. But this time I  was doubling up on sprawls and using 1kg dumbells when throwing punches to increase the effectiveness of the movement.

That as well as doubling up on the squats and plank calanetics that occurs in between rounds.

So tomorrow we have cardio again and as I am nearing the half way point, I am really starting to get excited about achieving the 8 weeks of rushfit!

Hey Sports Fans.... guess who's back online?!

Okay so I am aware that I haven't blogged since Thursday and so the last workout that I wrote about was Wednesday night.... Well in that time, not only have I moved house, but I have also managed to not mess up the Rushfit! Fair enough, I was without internet connection in my new place and I have been busy with packing, but am totally delighted that I haven't tapped out!

So where have we been....

Thursday, moving day and Abdominables day! 

Friday, quick cardio and stretch for flexibility workout before going out for the evening. I was really happy with this cardio as I jogged for the full 30mins non-stop with a few sprints added in for good measure.

Saturday saw the introduction of a new video. The Full body strength and conditioning workout. Now that was a hell of a thing. Doing a plank or a one arm press while leaning on the handles of weights is just awful! But got there in the end and quite enjoyed using my new spare room as a gym.

And what do you know..... I made it to Sunday! Which with all the unpacking was not very restful!

A bit of a break

As my shoulder, neck and back are a bit sore with this injury and I'm moving house between Thursday and Saturday I have been worried about this week of workouts for a while now.

Tonight was the Fight Conditioning Workout, and I do enjoy the fight conditioning workout and having not worked out since the previous morning I decided that it counted as a rest. It all went okay, the Uchiyama or whatever its called never goes well and I really think I need to spend yet more time getting better at the moves but all in all, not bad! Quick stretch and I am done. Time to go home and pack up for the move!

As the evening progresses, the aches kick in. By the time I wake up on Thursday morning after a very short sleep on account of the packing I am as a stiff as a board. Stairs have become difficult and the though of moving let alone Rushfit is enough to insight an audible groan!

I cannot wait until Sunday! 

Numbers are in!

Okay so last week (week 2) I got weighed by the nutritionist in work and I followed this up today....

After all of this.... I lost 1 pound! Half a kilo! As much as I am totally disappointed by this, it turns out that two thirds of that was just fat and Behar, the nutritionist said it was an excellent result! Although I do feel a wee bit disappointed!

Day 16

Shocker... I was in work at 7.30am! I was still half asleep by he time I got into the gym! Today was all about resting the arm / neck / back so went for a 15 minutes of cycling and 15 minutes of jogging and I missed the warmup, I think I have had quite enough lateral planks and press ups for now. I am definitely feeling the pain move back into my back, so I think that this is progress and if I leave Day 17's workout until after work tomorrow, I will optimise my resting time!

So yeah.... Day 16... DONE!

Hardcore... or just a bit daft?

Okay so despite the pain, the advice and the tape Rushfit day 15 is complete!!!! Yay... Or rather ouch! And I know I shouldn't say this but I'm kinda getting into the burpees, how messed up is that!?!

It's all in the technique and as long as you split it up into all the components and take your time... It's not that bad! Really it's not!

I am not entirely mental, for the most part I did have to adapt myself to the workout a bit on account of occasional shooting pains. So I dare say this this made it safer yet a lot less effective, but it gave me a good chance to take my time over the moves and really improve the technique. Although the weights were a good bit lighter than last week, getting the technique correct meant I am now going to be a good bit more effective.

A lot more of the press ups were on my knees too which was frustrating but it gave me a chance to pay more attention to my legs and I think its direct affected my burpees as my legs are doing more of the work than when my arm wasn't sore and it got easier!

But after feeling like I half assed it a bit I left the gym only to refer to tomorrow as a rest day... "because it's only cardio!" And it's true, I now see 30 minutes of mid level cardio as a REST! This represents a massive change in mindset for me and it's extremely motivating.

Day 15...

Okay, so I bailed on the early morning workout this morning as my arm is still sore.... I am starting to get a little concerned so I took myself off to the physio at work.

Anyone doing Rushfit knows that it puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders, neck and back. Basically what I have done is aggravated an old injury. My neck all the way down to under my shoulder is now fairly immobile and causing a lot of referred and shooting pains into my right arm.

I am a little bit lost on what to do at the moment, but I am going to have a think about how to get past this quickly, as I am dedicated to Rushfit, but longterm wellness is definitely my priority so time to find a plan B!

 

Day 14..... day off!

Hello! I have made it to my 3rd of 3 days off in 14 days! That is quite a special feeling!

I can only imagine how many calories I have burned in that time, mainly because I am not sciencey enough to figure it all out! But I am feeling like I have done a pretty good job! It doesn't feel like that big of a deal at the moment, and I have managed to get this far, the next 6 weeks should be a breeze!

I even have enough work out clothes to get through the week without doing laundry, which is mildly dangerous but I am sure it will be fine!

I am spending sunday, packing for next weeks house move, and arranging everything that I need to arrange for a week of good eating and exercising. Back to 6 workouts a week this week and as gutted as I am about it I feel like the day off on thursday really knoocked me off my rhythm, although it was badly needed!

Any who.... 6 weeks to go... .Rushfit here I come!

Day 13 - 2nd attempt at 'Bonus Workout"

30 minute cardio and balance and agility dvd....

Last week the cardio came in a few minutes short and I was completely floored by the workout, so this week I was determined to make sure that everything went a bit better.

Plan already went badly when I slept in by 15 minutes! But if you can't have a lie in til 8.30 on a saturday then when can you! Anyway, once again life got in the way and I had to reschedule my rushfit.

But finally got round to it at about 5pm ish.... went back to work to use the gym and to make sure my cardio was timed and I had a big space to do the dvd. I cannot stress enough how hard this workout is... and with only body weight! It is totally incredible how much it tires you out and makes you sweat! But anyway, I got through it, a lot better than last week and despite being stressed about maybe moving house in a week... I do feel perked up by it.

The challenge is going to be next week... week 3! With all the packing and organising and moving house I am going to have to do I am just not sure that all of my workouts are going to happen and I am already feeling anxious about it. But I am hopeful that a bit of advanced planning and healthy eating will make me keep on top of it!

Day 12 - Fight Conditioning

 Was hoping to be in the gym for 8 this morning but was actually still in bed. Not a great start and am definitely not feeling the energy and motivation I had at the start of the week. I am in between places to live at the moment though and I think that is messing with my head a little and causing too much of a distraction. But I have a deep rooted want to be Rushfit. So I am trying to push through this and get back to motivated again.

I don't want to be one of those people who gives up, as I am in control of this. If I let my circumstances dictate what I can and can't do then I walking the path of failure and that is just not good enough.

Anyway, finally made it to the gym at lunch and got through it. Still finding the hip escape a bit confusing but I got the hip heist sit ups nailed and found them quite enjoyable.

Once I can turn it around and stop feeling a little fed up about things I think everything will get better again. But its days like this that make you doubt your resolve and wonder what the point is!

DAY 11!!!!

I have made it! Not only is it payday but there is no rushfit today and I am pretty relieved!

My legs are aching with even the shortest of flights of stairs or walks around the office, my arms are sore and I would have struggled to get a work out done if today wasn't a day off!

As I knew I was off today, I even drank some wine and ate Pizza last night! But the way I see it is that I totally deserved it after working out covered in smoothie and having a generally rubbish day!

My lovely mum has even posted me some workout clothes too which is brilliant because I was in dire need of some new outfits, but now as I am moving flats next week I can't really afford the investment!

But never mind all this.... lets talk rushfit side effects!

I have some lovely new muscles popping up! One of which I am reliably informed is call a 'tricepe'! I haven't seen this one in a while so was delighted to welcome it back! My forearms are more defined, my waist is coming in a bit and I feel like my legs are thinner too! Happy Days!

I do feel a little restless already though and feel like I am missing out so am actually tempted to do a fitness test! But I am following instructions so I won't today!

Smoothie Operator

After work last night a few of us went for drinks for a team members birthday, and although there is a sense of smugness that comes along with watching everyone else get tipsy when you're on the diet coke, it definitely does feel a bit odd and depressing to be the one on the wagon. After a few it got to the stage where I was getting encourage to just drink spirits as they are purer and it will be fine... so I took my leave at around 7pm.

As I headed to bed at 9.30, I knew that today was going to be another one of those make or break situations. With an early morning meeting with the COO to prep for and viewings for my new flat after work meaning I would have to leave early and work through lunch, there was a very small window in which to make this happen! In order to be at my desk no later than 9.15, I needed to be on the bus by 7.15am.

But I woke up at 6.30, got out of bed fairly promptly got ready and gathered my workout clothes from the radiator I was in the kitchen preparing the breakfast smoothie by 7am. On track for another successful day. I threw my smoothie in my workout bag and threw my handbag on top. Not usually a problem.

On arriving at work still hiding behind my sunglasses I was fairly horrified to find said smoothie had escaped from its container and gone all over everything. Panic set in immediately, but not about my Christian Dior handbag.... about my 3 year old tatty workout clothes and the possibility of not getting my workout done, and being late and not prepping for my meeting! Oh how things have changed in ten days.

I am nothing if not dedicated though (and maybe a bit gross), so after clearing up the worst of it, I just rubbed it in and got on with it all be it, a little more damp and fruity than usual!

Another abdominables work out! Knowing what to expect made it a bit easier and much less clumsy but the fact that I have clearly gotten a lot fitter in just a week meant I spent less time missing out reps and more time holding the right positions for longer and with better technique so wow am I feeling it today! Everything is just a little sorer than usual and I am seriously relieved that I have a day off tomorrow! And no, I am still not doing a full extension back bend, because it's not safe!!!!

Take that DAY 10! And the Dior is going to be okay too!

Nutrition Confusion

So for the last 9 days I have been thinking about food a lot and wondering what I should eat. Yesterday I didn't eat enough calories because I just didn't have the right foods around me and I was worried I would do something wrong.

Having taken advice from the work Nutritionist, I feel a little bit more informed and ready to manage the dietary elements of this whole thing a bit better. He has weighed me and taken my body fat percentage and I will go back and see him every Tuesday lunchtime with a food diary that we will talk about.

In the meantime here are some fun facts I learned today:

1. Cheese is good for you when you eat it with salad, even hard cheese, but not when eaten on its own!
2. Fruits, while good for you in moderation, convert to sugar so it's best not to overdo it!
3. Banana is a complex carb!
4. The more green the banana the more complex carb it is, the more brown spots it has the quicker it converts to sugar in your blood!
5. Fruits that are indigenous to the country you live in are much better for you, as you will have the enzymes needed to break them down most effectively!!!

Hey, every day is a school day!

Week 2, day 2!

Nine days in and its another early morning workout for me! On cardio days I have been doing the warmup, the cardio then the cool down and today, because of a slightly sore knee decided to go for 30mins on the cross trainer. What a relief that I did it this morning though the aches from last night are creeping in and I am really feeling those bent over rows today. My legs are pretty stiff too but definitely preferring the morning workouts, although the gym is pretty busy in the morning, and I am not sure I am that comfortable working out along side senior execs! But hey, maybe its a good way to try to get a promotion!

I am trying out the philosophy that not eating makes you burn more fat when you workout in the morning. It also means that overall I will reduce my carb intake so I am interested to see where it goes. But I did feel my arms and legs tire a bit quicker than normal and I think I would have been collapsing had I been trying fight conditioning or the "Bonus" dvd from Saturday.

I am trying to find a nice new workout outfit but I have tried a few different brands and can't seem to find one I like. The nike drifit stuff has been redesigned from the stuff I have currently and the reviews are awful so I hoping that I get some recommendations!

I am going to see the works Nutritionist today for some guidance and advice so I am hoping that is going to give me a bit more focus and help me get my head round the basal metabolic rate stuff a bit more! Can't wait until I can just hire my own chef!

Week 2!

One week down, 7 to go and I AM INTO IT!

Really though... bring it on! Having a day off yesterday did make me feel a little restless, but from time to time I can follow instructions quite well so I did as I was told.

On Friday and Saturday I worked out in the morning, and I think I liked it more than waiting for the day to pass before scheduling a 4pm snack and not leaving work until after dark! But none the less it is went well.

Last week, I was taking it easy and being cautious so as not to collapse half way through! I was doing knee pushups a good bit of the time and still came out absolutely wiped. 8 days in though and my press ups are feeling strong and with a much better range of movement than I would have though for this stage of the game.

Popup's didn't happen, I swapped them out for sprawls as I just cannot get my head round 'the popup' but didn't want to feel like a slacker.

I feel that as I improve my technique, it gets easier, but more difficult at the same time. Which doesn't make much sense, I guess its easier to push through the wall or something. Overall the effect is incredible, I don't feel as lethargic and am feeling less sleepy, there are a few aches creeping in but nothing serious. Even the muesli bar 4pm snack didn't offend me as much as last week and I don't feel any need what so ever to make myself feel better with a glass of wine or 3!

Day 7

I don't have to work out today! YAY!

Day 6 - Not what I would call a bonus DVD!

Being back home for the weekend was potentially going to be a massive risk to my Rushfit plan. But I planned ahead and made the most of it. Not having access to a gym was going to be difficult, especially as Day 6 is a cardio day but a wee run outside did the trick.

I can't lie, I didn't do 30 mins, I did about 24 but that was because I ran quicker than planned. I don't want anyone thinking that I was sprinting down Byres Road or anything though, as I jogged the distance between my flat and my boyfriends flat, he walked along side me. He is however much taller than I am and I struggle to keep up with his normal walking pace. Despite some rather strange glances from the people we passed on the street, it was nice.

Then came the second of the two bonus DVD's. This is where the fun stops and I think the word bonus has been used fraudulently. A bonus is normally something that is good. This was not. What followed was the most gruelling 30 mins of Rushfit I have experienced to date. The exercises were really really difficult and by the end of it I was fit to collapse.

I struggled with the gorilla squats, the alligator crawl and the donkey kicks and then the thing where you do press ups but you move side to side crossing your hand over and under instead of going up and down took me to new levels of pain and exhaustion.

On completion of the DVD I sat down and had a wee cry it was so awful. But I finished it. And the next time will be easier.

Day 5 - Early morning work out!

This morning was probably the first time I have ever started a workout before 11am. Everyone who knows me knows I am not a morning person, but in order to stay committed to Rushfit, I had no choice but to get up early and do the workout before work instead of at the end of the day. This meant getting up at 6 instead of half 8 and I was concerned that today would be the day that I failed in my Rushfit Challenge. Needless to say that my workmates were somewhat bamboozled by my appearance in the office before 9.30am as well.

I was daunted to say the least when I saw the very specific footwork and impressive coordination that GSP and co demonstrated in the DVD last night and thought I was going to have a miserable time trying to keep up. I watched the foundation moves section last night too and although I am glad I did, it didn't help that much and I am happy to concede that this might take a bit of work! But who cares, it was really good fun!

Instead of worrying about being exhausted in the middle of round two I was concentrating so hard on where the hell my feet and arms were going and what leg was kicking in what direction that I didn't really notice that I was absolutely exhausted!

The last bit of the workout involves crawling about in circles on your hands and feet doing half and full rotations to be either face up or face down. It looked impossible but to my delight and mild exhaustion I actually managed that too! Rushfit Day 5... take that!

Day 4

When I watched the first 5 minutes of todays workout, I felt like it was my Birthday! I have never been so relieved. I just thought, yeah, a wee stretch! Just what I need.

I had a good day at work, kept myself well organised with food and timing and actually took the correct outfit today too which was a great bonus although, I really need to sort out some better socks, the stretchy ones aren't as good as the fluffy ones at all.

Started off with a wee bit of cardio, ran a few kilometers and then when I felt like my heartrate was leaving zone 3 I moved to a rower and got really bored really quickly so then I moved to the crosstrainer while I waited on someone pissing about a bike.

One of the biggest frustrations for me in the gym is people who don't really push themselves. Sitting on a bike for 35 mins and travelling a grand total of 8km doesn't qualify as exercise in my opinion, at least not for a someone in their 20's.... so go home and stop making me wait til you get finished! Rant over.

So after a bit of recumbent cycling, as the upright is still broken, I have to endure another work out. I only say endure because my left shoulder and arm have have had enough lateral planks and push ups to last a life time, but I will live. Besides if you want to be a champion, you have to train like one! Finally, after nearly an hour of messing about on the cardio, I get on to the stretching. It was great. Mainly because I am quite flexible after years of yoga, but also because GSP is not very flexible at all and Erik was giving him a hard time! It felt nice being the one that could do stuff for a change.  By the end of the workout I felt nice and loose and best of all totally relaxed! This felt like I won a prize after what has been a tough week.

Tomorrow is when things start getting difficult. Life will be getting in the way and this is where I will struggle to schedule my workout, so I am going to work early to do it before I start the day. Tomorrow I need to be up promptly and not mess about. This is a slightly different challenge for me and in some ways its much bigger! So I better get some sleep!

Day 3 - Abdominables!

Well after all of yesterdays complaining and feeling like it was going to kill me, I survived to make it to day 3 - The Abdominal Strength and Core Conditioning workout.

At this stage everything is sore, even my fingers and possibly my veins, and I am exhausted. Not refreshed and full of energy like fitness enthusiasts claim. My shoulders are sore, my neck movements are feeling restricted and I need a massage but I need to wait until payday for that!

But I have eaten properly today... and am confident that I have the energy for this even if I don't have the arms.

During the warmup I am struggling because my shoulders and elbows are sore, walking out to a plank and the pressups are not fun at all and yet again I am questioning my resolve. But this time I got to do the workout in the fitness studio in work and seeing my fat tummy in the mirror is keeping me motivated for now.

Round 1 was fun and reasonably enjoyable, I don't really mind the one legged squats and I feel that the weight actually helps keep you nice and balanced and having the mirror helps to make sure I am keeping my back in the correct position. The dumbbell upper cut is great and GSP reminds you that the power comes from the hips in this movement, it really burns towards the end. The dumbbell sit up is tough though and there is still two rounds to go. The next thing... is hectic.... lying on your back both feet up and then a side twist to each side for a minute, I am comforted by the fact that GSPs feet are all over the place too! Then bicycle... OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!! DONE! Excellent only 4 more to go!

Round 2, starts okay, with a dumbbell swing, but the woodchop is poorly explained and it's hard to tell if it is going well. On to the floor for the next few and now I am starting to feel it!

Round 3. This is where things start to take a turn for the worst. Power situps... glute bridge... leg raises... glute bridge... V-Up... OUUUUCH! But with the speed that is involved in all of these I am not sure I am getting the benefit. The instructions are fast and furious with alternative exercises being suggested mid exercise. There is no time to think about this cos it's time to repeat it all.

Round 4. Championship rounds. I love these guys. Or do I hate them. I don't know.
The next two rounds are brutal, having done Yoga extensively as a teenager, I have a lot of awareness of what is good for your body and what is not and at the moment I am in two minds. Its is not advisable for people who are not physically fit to even attempt some of these movements. A full extension back bend can cause some major neck and back issues and there is no explanation of this in the video. Awareness of potential injury needs to be given more consideration.

Round 5. The hardest round yet. I am massively disappointed by this round as I have a long torso and cannot do the swing through thing and as a result everything got a bit disjointed and I am not feeling the effects.

Cool down and done! YAY!

All in all good but I have my concerns. But I am sweating my ass off, literally, and feel pretty proud of myself that I managed to get through Day 3. In my defence... I didn't watch this in preparation and really need to get to these work outs better.

I get to bed my 9pm and everything hurts but I watch tomorrows DVD and I am actually looking forward to the Stretching for Flexibility workout and a bit of cardio!

DAY 3 DONE!

Day 2 - A little bit of Cardio

Well I didn't ever think that this was going to be easy but it's day 2 and I am having serious doubts about my ability to go another 58 days and I hate myself for it!

Today was a shock to the system. Woke up sore, was really busy all day, didn't eat enough of the right stuff and was hitting the wall mid way through the warm up tonight. This does not bode well for me, but this is why I started the blog. No going back.

So what am I going to do about it? Well first things first, no more damned Chablis, that's for sure. There is no point walking the path of failure at this stage of the game or else I won't achieve my goal.

Next thing is that I need to understand the nutrition element properly. I have always become somewhat confused about what constitues a Carb and this is where everything unravels. I didn't eat nearly enough of the things to give me energy for this evenings cardio session and I felt like I was counting the seconds for the full time! 

I am wondering if I am just making up excuses though, all of the things that put me off today were as follows:

- I was achey from yesterday and my pressups were rubbish! 

- I was not wearing the correct gym outfit, I have one, its my favourite, its Nike Dryfit or something and its comfy. The outfit I wore today made me feel too hot and the top kept riding up and was too low cut. 

- I was not wearing the correct socks. I wasn't wearing sports socks so my feet felt funny in my trainers and I didn't really like it.

- My trainers are a bit past their best. 

- The bike in the gym that I usually use is broken, there is only the sit back, feet up one and that's just odd, it will probably take weeks to fix.

- My new braces are horrible when I am doing cardio as I am breathing through my mouth and they get really dry and sharp. (Why a 29 year old has braces is a whole other story.)

- My back started to feel not strained and not sore but just uncomfortable during the rowing element of the workout, what if hurt myself?

- I am worried that I am going to get really muscley in the knee area, which is bad as I already have big knees.

I think this is about it and some of the points are valid so what am I going to do about it? 

- On day 11 I am going to buy some new outfits. (Happily, day 11 and pay day are one in the same).

- I am going to eat properly.

- I am going to talk to the people in the gym when I can't do something. Lora is really friendly and approachable, which is so important for someone who works in a gym.

- I am going to see a physio once a week to make sure that my spine is in good shape.

- I will make sure I re read the Rushfit Nutrition guide again and again until it makes sense.

The rest, I am going to forget about as they are not important and I might just be being dramatic. 

Anyway I just need to man the hell up and get on with this, I just wonder, what would George do? 

Day 3 might be better... 

What the hell is a Pop Up?

I gave this whole DVD a right good go, and yes, I did do a few press ups from my knees and I did miss a couple of reps here and there but its all good preparation for next time so that is fine in my book!

BUT SERIOUSLY.... A POP UP???

As I kneeled down I knew this was the part of the DVD I had been fearing.

There I am in the kneeling position and it occurred to me... I do not know which part of my body needs to do something next. I literally have no idea where to start. As I started with my brain, I realised that I am not a Jedi so I am not going to be able to simply will myself on to my feet.

I began thinking about how to get my knees off the floor... nope... nothing.

Maybe my arms have to lead this sorry show of effort. However as I am not a bird and I cannot fly that doesn't seem to work.

I pause the DVD as I try to figure it out, but just seem to kneel there for a while. I think I do the easier version of the exercise but I am genuinely stumped by this so will have to come back to it at another time.

Any suggestions, let me know!

Day 1 - Strength and Endurance DVD

Monday... 2.30 am.... Can't sleep.

Monday 7 am.... time to go to work, YAWN! 

Monday 5 pm... RushFit Time.

I have been yawing all day, feeling exhausted, achey back etc, just plain tired. I cannot be bothered with this at all, but I have changed my Facebook profile picture to the version of myself that I want to return to and I am, at this stage, determined  this into action. 

Breakfast: Smoothie (Banana, Black berries, Blueberries, skimmed milk)

Snack: Bran flakes with strawberries

Lunch (3 hours before workout): Chicken with assorted salad.

Dinner (2 hours after workout): Chicken, broccoli, runner beans and potatoes

RushFit fail: Half bottle of Chablis with dinner and 2 chocolate chip cookies.   

I watched the DVD last night, so I knew what to expect. There is a bit of me that thinks if GSP is in pain I am going to die with this, and I am not being funny, but a Pop Up? I don't even know where to start with that one. 

I converted the DVD to a .avi file so I could transfer the DVD to my phone mainly because I find it difficult to get motivated when I am back in the house after a long day at work and I felt a bit silly doing it in my house, with my excessively fit flatmate and his gorgeous actress girlfriend wandering about. 

But I head upstairs to our small but convenient work gym and get underway. 

Warm up, was okay, it did what it said it would. 

Round 1: Best bit - Back Extension / Worst Bit - Iso Squat

Round 2: Best bit - Air Squats / Worst Bit - Burpees (also known as the Devils exercise)

Round 3: Best bit - Bent over rowey thing / Worst Bit - Repeating the whole set! 

Round 4: Best bit - Single arm swing / Worst bit - Around the World (tricky technique)

Round 5: Best bit - THIS IS THE LAST ROUND!!! Worst bit - Can't even remember I was so exhausted!

Cool down.

Thank goodness that is over, my fingers are trembling, and I don't really have the inclination to move. It is physically strenuous to get out of my work out clothes and into the shower, but wow did that hot water feel absolutely amazing. I finally manage to pull myself together and shuffle off to a friends house to recover with a glass of Chablis and some great company. 

When I get home and crawl into bed, my whole body felt something, I am not sure what, maybe activated or something. My boyfriend called to say goodnight and I was so exhausted, I fell asleep mid conversation. But after that I had the best sleep I have had in ages! 

Bring on Day 2!

The Beginning of Rush Fit

A couple of years ago I was at my best ever level of fitness ever and it was amazing, it felt absolutely great and I enjoyed working out with an incredible personal trainer, Ross Park, most days. Then I underwent an operation that would leave me with scar tissue on the muscles around my eye and you become very quickly aware that even leaning forward to empty the dishwasher was really really sore.

I was not allowed to exercise for a month and this included even cycling and swimming but even my feet hitting the pavement on a gentle walk caused so much pain that I accepted it and hoped for a quick recovery. As I slowly got better, I got more and more out of shape and tried sporadically to go back to the gym, but press ups, planks and anything with weight attached would make the eye flare up and it really undermined my confidence.

Then I got a job in London.... see London Town Blues and things really did go downhill. I was out most nights, drinking and eating and without a nice kitchen to prepare meals in I got more out of shape. Next week it will be a year since I moved to London and now I am going to undo the damage I have to myself and my self confidence with my lack of discipline.

This blog will follow me through the next 8 weeks of RushFit and getting a bit closer to the old me!