Okay so I am a little late but hey, it is better to be late than never right?!
I finally did it, I got off my lazy ass and went to the gym! Woohoo, pop the champagne- this is worth the CELEBRATION! Hmm maybe not quite yet, I might just take a glass of water poured into a champagne flute in the meantime.
It has been over 2 weeks into the New Year and I honestly do not have enough fingers to count the amount of times I would tell myself, “okay Xen today is the day you pay a friendly visit to the gym?” Or “if you get up early you could slip in a quick sesh before work?” Well it sounded all well and good but did I actually follow through with my plan… obviously not! I work full-time in hospitality, I am exhausted after work as I am on my feet all day walking around, serving, cleaning and setting up.
When it comes to food, I eat minimal. Why you ask, well I believe to eat only when you are hungry. Yes you may think this is a bad way to think and act but when I do eat, I eat. I ensure that I at least have 1 big meal a day and small healthy snacks throughout. I try and ensure I am getting my daily dose of veggies, fruit, meat, calcium and good fats. I am lucky enough to work both in and out of the kitchen, that when I do feel peckish I can make myself a salad or my classic ham and cheese on white bread sanga.
With that said; it still isn’t a healthy lifestyle to go by. I haven’t put on weight so far, in actual fact I have lost weight. I believe I have lost muscle as I have noticed tasks that I used to find easy to do, now struggle with.
My muscles and body have become sore, tight and tense. It doesn’t matter how much I stretch or get a massage, it is still there at the end, haunting me.
My RSI (repetitive strain injury) seems to be playing up and only feels fixed when I crack it into place and
My energy levels have been a rollercoaster of ride as of recent. Staying up late and waking up early or having no motivation to get tasks done.
If you know me, you know I love muscles. No, I don’t want to be a bodybuilder but I do dream of being tone and fit, but when I flex you can see these muscles. I love how the body works, especially when most of the human body is made up of around 700 muscles. Some of us have the natural ability to maintain their weight due to genetics and a great metabolism, while others need to watch what they eat and ensuring they get some regular exercise on a weekly basis. I believe I am a little bit of both- thanks Mum & Dad.
So the whole point of this is that I set myself up another crazy challenge for January… did I have it planned all month? NO haha I came up with it yesterday because I am sick of not doing anything about it. What I love about this New Year is that it started on a Monday, my OCD side is pleased and I feel I can set myself challenges with ease knowing I will complete them.
My challenge I set for myself is: (drum roll please)
GYM 16 DAYS STRAIGHT
Crazy right? I also challenged myself to minimise the use of elevators (I live in an apartment where there is one), no more chocolate (as I got heaps from Christmas which I am still trying to finish) and biscuits (work has the most amazing choc-chip and salted caramel biscuit to die for) in the same time frame.
We have just over half the month left...that makes up for the first 2 weeks? Hmm sounds pretty legit to me. Basically means that by the end of the month I would have gone every 2nd day. WINNING- adulating done right.
So for today’s session, Monday the 15th of January 2018 (thanks to Anytime Fitness Balwyn) I managed to do roughly an hour workout. A full 60 minutes of blood, sweat and tears… maybe no blood or tears and only a bit of sweat but I completed it and that is all that matters. For Christmas I received a diary off my dad and it is the perfect size to write down what I wanted to do, how many sets & reps, how long I should wait in between each rep/exercise and how many kilo’s I managed to do per exercise.
I wrote out the week’s plan on what I wanted to do and some days I do repeat. As they say it is all about ‘commitment’ and ‘repetition.’
My session consisted of:
Squats 3 sets of 12 reps 2 minute rest 10 kgs
Lying Leg Curl 3 sets of 12 reps 1 minute rest 12.5 kgs
Lat Pull down 3 sets of 12 reps 1 minute rest 26 kgs
Dumbell Chest Press 3 sets of 12 reps 1 minute rest 5 kgs each
Barbell Curl 3 sets of 12 reps 1 minute rest 10 kgs
Tricep Cable Push down 3 sets of 12 reps 1 minute rest 12 kgs
I started off with lighter kilos as I haven’t gymed in a while and if I am to try and go for 16 days straight, I would be a fool to overexert myself on the first day.
Anyhoooo lets raise those champagne glass, be it water or champas, to day one and only fifteen days to go.
