When im at home on the weekends with my little boy it’s hard to fit in a workout – although looking after a toddler doesn’t exactly consist of lazying around! But I don’t workout on the weekends, or i didnt, until i started customising my own workouts to suit me and how far i wanted to push myself. So when he’s asleep, having his nap, i write down i workout that i know i can do and that won’t make me completely exhausted so that when he wakes up i don’t have any energy.
Below i have attached a photo of my workout written on the back of an envelop that was address to me. You don’t have to go all professional mode when you’re at home, write it on anything, if you have a diary then brilliant, write it in there, but i have a folder with loads of old envelopes, bits of paper, clippings or meals, recipes and other workouts that has everything i need in it. I can then go back to it and have a look at some of the old workouts and recipes i used to do. You see i’m not that organised, despite being a mum, and so usually find the nearest bit of paper that can be sacrificed for my workout. When i’m on the phone, for instance, and i need to write some information down or a phone number i’ll look around, struggle to find a pen, then when i eventually do, i then try to find a bit of scrap paper and proceed to jot down and doodle whatever the person on the other end of the phone tells me. To be honest, i just call it recycling!
Here it is!
Before i embark on written workout i always jog up and down my garden about six times to make sure im warmed. ESSENTIAL!
If you can’t read my writing here is what it says:
1st Set
40 SQUATS
10 BURPEES
30 SECOND PLANK
30 SECOND PLANK ON THE SIDE (BOTH)
60 STAR JUMPS
20 SQUATS
RUN UP AND DOWN GARDEN 12 TIMES
2nd Set
40 SQUATS
10 BURPEES
30 SECOND PLANK
30 SECOND PLANK ON THE SIDE (BOTH)
60 STAR JUMPS
20 SQUATS
RUN UP AND DOWN THE GARDEN 12 TIMES
AND THEN STRETCH!
That is the workout. Think of it as you will, some of you may like it, some of you wont, but for me, this is perfect, i ware myself out and feel good after i do it!
I have never been so nervous in all of my life (well thats a lie, i was shitting a brick over the thought of giving birth to my son, but thats a little bit different… haha). As i got my race number and timing chip i had a MASSIVE moment of realisation that this is it, i am about to embark on something i never thought i would (i know I’m making this sound waaaay more dramatic than it actually is but just go with it ;)). I looked around me at all of the ‘professional’ runners and thought how on earth will i be able to keep up with them? “I’m gonna look like an idiot!” were the words circling around in my head. So i became the copy cat and looked at what every one else was doing at that precise moment in time and at that point it was to warm up and stretch, but i even felt stupid doing that! Thinking that everyone knows I’m a hopeless amateur, i was adamant that everyone looked at me and thought “oh bless her”. How stupid of me to think that, why would they be focussing their attention on me when THEY were also about to run a race, of course they’d be too wrapped up in their thoughts to focus on me, but at the time that didn’t enter my mind. So as i got geared up to start my stretches and warm up my wonderful boyfriend could see just how nervous and scared i was and warmed up and stretched with me! I cannot stress how important it is to have someone go through this journey with you, even if it’s a spectator (because for this particular race i was on my own). He was in his jeans, yet he still did it with me! Anyway, so i finish warming up, go for a last minute pee and get in my place ready for the race. I have never felt so alone in a crowd of people. Obviously at tho point i had to say goodbye to Jamie and be on my way. As i stand in a swarm of people all chatting to each other in their little groups i stood there thinking i should probably look like I know what I’m doing and do some more mini stretches. So that’s exactly what i did. All of a sudden the klaxon went off and i was on my way…
As i got to 3K i could feel the struggle, don’t forget this is an overweight girl running a race for the very first time! I could start to feel myself giving in to just stopping and having a panic attack or asthma attack, but i knew it was psychological, i knew it was all in my head and that i could do it if i just pushed myself. Don’t get me wrong i did stop, but i kept on walking. I eventually got to a massive hill, now when i say massive, i mean massive. I thought that the mini hills beforehand were bad enough but this hill made them look flat in comparison! As i got half way up the hill my pace started to slow down and i transitioned in to a brisk walk, but even that started to slow up, just when i thought that i really couldn’t carry on a woman called Louise jogged up beside me and said “come on girl” and from that point on she stuck with me, the whole way. I know that without her i still would have finished the race but maybe i would’ve finished it at a much later time, i would’ve had to have stopped for a bit and i wouldn’t have been happy with my time. So with her by my side i was able to run more than i thought i would! So i THANK HER MASSIVELY! And with that throughout the rest of the race we talked about our lives to each other and got to know one another.
Throughout the race we got overtaken by two heavily overweight men, they weren’t talking to each other, just in time with each other and doing a light jog. I didn’t think the stereotypical thought of “oh my god as if two people that are bigger than me have overtaken me!” I thought, “wow how sick is that! good on them!” and that was the thought that made me want to stop walking and get back to jogging again for the last bit. They inspired me. Not these ‘professional’ runners, but these more than average men were the ones who had got up off their backside and running a race for them! For their health to get more fit. That was the most inspirational moment of my day, that is what helped me get back in to it properly and stop complaining about how much pain i was in.
As i crossed the finish line it was one of the most overwhelming experiences i’ve ever had. I was so proud, i had finished! I LOVED IT! I got a medal and a goody bag (which had a pint in it for me – it was DEFINITELY needed!) and that was it. The end of a winning, glorious, eye opening experience that was so personal to me.
My wonderful man meeting me at the finish line 🙂
I have loved today but what i’ve learnt most, is that it’s a personal psychological obstacle that only oneself can over come. And with that overwhelming sense of accomplishment definitely comes aches and pains from the waist down, SO BE PREPARED.
I have now signed myself up for a 5K mud run later on this year!
Im sorry about the cleavage but when you start to feel good about yourself you do tend to take more photos that make you feel good and show off what you want to!
So i have been training for a 10k race – that was originally supposed to be a half marathon, but i bottled it. Well actually no i won’t call it bottling it because I’ve never run a race before! And well tomorrow is THE day. The day when i decide to look like a complete amateur, especially compared to everyone else, and sell my soul to the fitness devil – i should really say God but I’m so frightened to do it i really don’t know who I’m selling my soul to! I am so scared but do you know what its fine to be scared and nervous and all the hundreds of thousands of other emotions i feel because I’m a newby to this and i am conquering something for me!
Lets just hope i don’t actually poo myself tomorrow because i feel like i already am!
If you were like me and you don’t like exercising or you just can’t be arsed then make it fun!
I now love exercise (don’t get me wrong, not all types), I’m not a brilliant runner, to be honest it’ll usually take me longer to run a race than anybody else but i do love exercising and that feeling of:
“Oh my God i done it!”
That sense of accomplishment is sooooo good to feel!
BUT the reason i love exercising now is because of my partner in crime. The man in the picture is (you’ve guessed correctly) my man, my wonderful boyfriend. If it wasn’t for him i don’t think i would be as this in to fitness as i am now, in fact i think i’m more into it than he is now! But without his support and him coming with me to exercise and help get me through the pain physically and emotionally i wouldn’t have lost the extra stone and a bit that i have lost since being with him. The picture above is a late night 9 mile bike ride Jamie and i took in to the city randomly, just because. He knew i wanted to lose weight and so he said he would help me and for that i bought him a bike so we could enjoy more than just exercising at the gym and in the bedroom.
Get a partner, it doesn’t have to be your husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, it can be whoever, just let someone in on the struggle with you because once you do that, the struggle becomes less and less.
fatflirtyandfit 