Second week into OBS and I’ve got into a routine with exercise; I managed to get to the gym 4 times this week (2 swims, 1 CV & 1 weights). I basically do 3 days on and 1 day off, usually in the order of CV, weights, swim, rest, CV, weights, swim, rest…. This might seem intense to some people but it seems to work for me. And if I can fit it in, a couple of sessions on Just Dance too!!
My body is slightly protesting at this routine especially as I took it up a gear too, no rest for the wicked; but in a way that’s good as I think it’s good that your body should ache slightly after exercise as it means that your body is going to adapt and therefore make you fitter, stronger, faster. So if you see me around walking slightly funny you know now why!!
I also overcame my nerves and braved the -2°C temperature on Sunday morning to make my 1st trip to Lincoln Rowing Club. When I arrived there were loads of cars but no people which meant I was getting more nervous than I was when I left the house. I needn’t have worried as everyone was really friendly. Another lady called Sam arrived just after me; her 1st time at the club was last week so it was nice to know I wasn’t the only beginner there. Once all the other members of the club had got boats out and onto the river, it was time for me to have a go. First of all I was shown all the different boats and equipment (the narrowness of some of the racing boats shocked me a little, I thought if get in one of those, my hips and bum would be firmly wedged in!!)
Then it was time for me to get going; I used a rowing machine first to make sure my technique was ok and then it was time for me also to get on the water – now I definitely was getting nervous. Thankfully the boat I would be using had stabilisers on so NO chance of it capsizing, but this made it all the more difficult to actually get in and out of it. But I managed to master manoeuvring the boat to turn round and slowly got used to the rowing technique. Jimmy my instructor was very patient with me and I neglected to tell him that I was dyslexic and got confused between my left and right… but eventually I managed to do 3 or 4 good strokes!! There was so much to think about, so before I knew it the time had whizzed by and it was time to come in and back onto dry land. It’s going to be a steep learning curve to pick up all the different things I need to remember but I’m looking forward to the challenge of it, so I will be back there next week to carry on from where I left off, and hopefully it might be slightly warmer!!
So as you can see I’ve got the exercise bit sorted, but the diet and food is the bigger issue; I am consciously eating less I think and have taken to eating off a side plate, which actually gives me a nice amount of food and if I’m still hungry I can have seconds, but as it stands I haven’t felt the need to eat more. My main issue is the picking of food during the day.
I work from home and have done for 5 years now so the habit of just going down stairs and picking at food in the kitchen is all too easy, especially at the moment as there is still chocolate in the house from Christmas. Now I do love chocolate, well who doesn’t? But I don’t tend to be able to eat much of it at a time, just a couple of squares of a bar; I can’t remember the last time I ate a full sized chocolate bar in one sitting. But just being in the house, it’s so easy to grab it and eat it before you realise what you’ve done. Knowing that I’m writing this blog and sharing OBS with you is helping me hesitate at times, but the habit is so ingrained it’s hard, so think I might have to resort to signs around the house!!
The other habit with food I’m trying to break is having something sweet after my lunch and evening meal. Now I know this will be an even harder thing to crack than the picking as it’s something that’s been happened ever since I was young; my parents are both chefs so we were lucky enough to try lots of food, and this is where my passion for food has come from. We always had dessert after our meal, so it just feels right to do it now, but I know that actually I don’t need this extra course, so am resisting as much as I can or trying to find alternatives such as plain yoghurt with some berry compote (homemade of course!).
On a positive note, I’ve managed not to have a single cup of caffeinated coffee or alcohol since New Year, which is a massive achievement for me. The main reason for removing both of these from my diet is that I have problems sleeping and these two things make it a lot worse. Over the weekend I did have a craving for a lovely Gin & Tonic but decided that I didn’t actually need it, and had some elderflower cordial with sparkling water (in a wine glass) instead.
Last week I mentioned that I was only going to weigh and measure myself once a month to see how I’m progressing towards my goal and I’ve been thinking about this more. Not only do I want to change my body shape but also get fit, so unless I know where I am how do I know if in 6 months’ time I’m any fitter than I am now?!?! Well after a few tweets to @hurricanesports I’ve booked myself in to be fitness tested; I’ve asked for as many tests as possible to give me a clear idea of my start point.
So next week I will be sharing with you my results. If you’ve got any questions around food and nutrition, then let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Lincolnshiregirl 