I hurt...

Everywhere.

Well apart from my abs, the bit I wish DID hurt at least that means I might lose some of the stubbon belly fat!

Anyway...
I am still going with the X-trainFit at home workouts and have only missed 2 workouts out of around 2 n half weeks which is pretty good going for me! On Sunday I even managed a 8mile run (followed by a surprisingly tasty protopure 31g protein bar) and a chest and back workout.
The thing is though, my wrist hurting bad most of the time. My left one too, which I found surprising since I am left handed and it is supposed to be my stronger side...
My knees hurt a little and other muscles dotted around my body.

During the cardio burnout DVD today (1 hour 20mins of intense training) I felt like giving up half way through. I didn't want to finish, I felt like I didn't have the energy, not weak, just not up for it. After pushing through the last 30 mins I feel no better, just in more pain! This got me thinking...uh oh! You see I have a holiday at the end of March and I would love to be 'bikini ready' for it, however I just don't feel I am getting anywhere. 2 weeks into the program and running on 1800kcal most of the time (the rest is above...ooooops) and burning around 200-900kcal per day I lost just under 1lb in my first week and 0.5 inches of my hips and last week was up 0.5lb and down an inch on the waist.

Another issue I am having is that since these workouts are an hour long then my evening after placement consist of home. dinner. workout. sit. bed. No work in there, I mean its not like I have a dissertation and 3 essays in before May O_O.

An option I though was going to Jillian Michaels workouts and Yoga DVDs and dropping the calories to 1600? And, if I have a run then to leave this as my only workout rather than working on upper body later in the day?

I know I need to look at the foods I am eating, I know that working out is only 30% of the battle with weight loss and for me especially, eating well constantly is tough.

Sorry for the blab. This needs more thought! Hopefully things will even themselves out soon!

Broken Record...

Today was one of those days.

I say broken record becauce I always feel like I am repeating myself with what I'm about to write:

The ones where you can't stop eating, part of you is willing you to stop but you go back for more. This could just be me but JEEZ. There was toast, Christmas cake, apple, crisps, biscuits. All pure crap.  I kept telling myself it is okay because it is the hardest day in the XtrainFit at Home series and I expected to burn 600+ calories. But still, that's not the point, its bad food, it does not supply me with the goodness my body needs to function well.

Anyway its over and done with, tonight I am going to create a new meal plan to help with the control, at least it will be one less thing to worry about now placement has started and I have a dissertation and currently 2 essays to write, plus I now have a bank support worker job so that will take up some weekend time. Oh and add training for a half marathon in there too. O_O

I am now sat here with some lemongrass tea from teapigs, if you haven't heard from them you should really check them out their tea is AMAZING. So many different kinds and they do a sample box for just over £12 and you can pick 12 different samples of 2 tea bags and they send them in cute little boxes.

 They focus on whole leaf tea and even have a special range called matcha, a strong version of green tea that can help with raising energy and helping with weight loss, among many other benefits, I'll talk about that more once they have arrived but for now check 'em out here


So...

X-trainFit at Home http://www.xtrainfit.co.uk/
Well what can I say... It is really good! You get a lot for your money, 8 workout DVDs, so one for each day and 2 workouts (for the first 3 weeks) on one day (don't worry the extra one is a stretch DVD..very nice!)
It is a 12 week program and comes with a workout info booklet, where you can store you pre-program stats and a wallchart where you can check off workouts and add a before and after pic of yourself.
The first 3 weeks are mainly cardio based so the focus is on fat burn then weeks 4-9 the circuit training increases and the cardio reduces then the final 10-12 weeks are about toning the new body!
The instructor is great, it is a real life, down to earth workout with real sweat and pain. It is almost like working out with friends and there is great support from the X-train team and the instructor herself on facebook.
All workouts (besides stretch) are around an hour long and I am managing to fit it in with every else going one, just takes effort and motivation.
Best of all?
It is only £16.50! :D winwin!
First week done: down 0.5lb and 0.5inch off those hips!







And to the snow
Anyone have any tips for running in the snow/ice?
Or how to keep treadmill entertaining for longer runs?

A look at whats to come!

I have just started a program called X-TrainFit at home. It is a 12 week workout program that progresses every few weeks adding in different workouts and different levels. I am currently on day 2 and after a week I shall update you all and give a review on the program and how I am doing! :)

Went for a 10k run this morning, took... 1 hour. That's 10min miles! I am soo proud, eagerly getting back and shoving my Garmin in Nicks face to get him to confirm that I did actually run that distance in that time! It was a lovely run too, Sunday morning full of joggers and dog walkers with the sun rising on a chilly morning. Lovely. My first fasting run in a while too, I just didn't really want to bother having breakfast before hand and it worked out for the better! :)

Continuing with 1800kcal and so far going really well. Nice fresh weekly shop in today and I have treated myself to some smoked salmon (to those who don't know, I now eat fish), can't wait to get my hands on the stuff!

Planning is finally underway for the Coast to Coast! I know I said in a previous post that it was 220 (some website said that was the actual distance) but I'll go with the majority and say 190miles. Very early stages but I will keep updating on places we are staying and whether we are camping or getting a B&B!

So keep tuned for the review on X-TrainFit and possibly one on my Garmin 410 (i still haven't fully worked out all the ins and outs of it yet)

For now hope you are all well and your New Year resolutions are continuing!

Blergh..

Just a quick post. More of a reminder to myself really, that I DO want to lose more weight and it is NOT okay to have these regular bad eating days that make me feel awful inside.

Since my last post I tried Sainsburys diets, they put me on 1400kcal each day and I felt awful, really tired and grumpy. I was still burning calories, around 500 some days, bringing my net intake below 1000kcal. Something far from healthy.

So, I left that and thought I'd try again by calorie counting to 1800kcal and continuing with the regular workouts. However, this is not the case I have just eaten everything in sight for the last 2 days and I feel awful. Clothes feel tighter and I don't feel right.

I need to re-focus and not think that I must eat all my Christmas goodies in one go to make them go away, that is not the way it works, nor is it at all healthy.

I need to be in good form. I have 2 half marathons in Feb and April and a MARATHON in October. On top of that I have a degree to get and a nursing job to find. I MUST be healthy for these so I can focus and function well.

Must stay happy and healthy. From now till always. Everyone can have treat days, as long as they are TREAT days...not treateveryday!


:)

I did have a good title...

It was going to be; end the year as you mean to go on (to be done on new years eve but that didn't happen)

Anyhoo,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Now I am not one for resolutions, so I am making goals :)

1. Find and maintain a weight I am happy with and that is healthy
2. Complete the Wainwright Coast to Coast
3.  Get a REAL nursing job!
4. Get my nursing degree
5. Run 2 half marathons in under 2hours 15mins (I have the two planned, now to train!)

Now my monthly goal for January, lose the Christmas pounds that I gained over December.
I also aim to meal plan to a. make shopping easier and b. help me feel a little bit more in control of what I am eating.
AND. POSSIBLY. Take a pic a day of either my food or something special and review them at the end of the week/month.


 In other news... I have a new toy!

Yupp For Christmas my lovely fiance got me a Garmin Forerunner 410. I have used it 3 times so far and it is brill!
For those who don't know this bad boy tracks your time, pace, distance, and place...and much much more!
I still haven't had a real good play but I have my account set up on Garmin Connect which is where all your runs are logged as the Garmin will transfer the data to the Internet and you can analyse your heart rate, pace, elevation, average pace, calories burned. I could go on!
I have had no issues with getting satellite signals and so far I have not lost them during a run so, so far, so good!
It really does help with the motivation to get out and beat your pace, you can even set it up so that you can race against yourself from a previous run!

One of my goals for last year was to do the coast to coast but unfortunately we both didn't have the time or the equipment to do it, but in the sale we got a new lightweight tent...

The Vango Banshee 300. We JUST managed to put it up in our living room and it looks good nice and light and should be a bit easier to put up and down with a bit of practice! The tent is for 3 people.. HA yeah erm... Me and Nick can get into it comfortably and our 2 70L backpacks can fit it making it...cosy. I am looking forward to more weekend walking in the lead up to the whole walk itself, a 220 mile trek from St. Bees to Robin Hoods bay.

I have a feeling 2013 is going to be an exciting and fitness filled year!

Oh and I have a holiday on the 23rd March. Need a bikini body by then! :)