2 Weeks of learning!

I'm back! Did you miss me???

So it’s been 15 days since my last post what have I been up to in that time?

Well....

Started hitting the 16kg Kettlebell again working on 4 sets of 25 to hit my 100reps, been dropping in the odd fitness DVD (Tae-bo, YRG) and took in a fitness class at work.

Now the fitness class was a learning experience!

I learnt that I clearly am not pushing myself as hard as I could/should be. The class I went to was a Krav Maga class run by a trainer in the office gym, what actually happened on the day was that the trainer was off still for the Christmas period and the class was now a circuit class. This is where my second lesson came in...My fitness level has been demolished!

Working the kettlebell has kept my squats at a good level but everything else was shot. The circuit was this:

30reps of each x 3sets of:

Pushups
Sit-ups with punches
Squats
Dips
Leg raises
Lunges (1 left and 1 right counted as one rep)

Now I have never been at a point where I could have sailed through this, but I certainly would have been able to manage it in my own time...not anymore! Got through the first set (just, it took me ages and it wasn’t pretty) and then even at half reps I failed to achieve most of the way to the second set and the third set was just a joke!

The third lesson of the day is about sleep! Always make sure you get plenty of rest!

Fat bloke + Exercise - Good sleep = Wreck on floor with feet raised and a discussion with the first aider!

I didn’t collapse or blackout, it was just a wee funny turn where I thought it would be better on the floor before my body took me there!

So that was the downside!! Is there an upside...Kind of.

I have made my first goal the ability to do the circuit without stopping, starting small 10 reps of each for one set, I am then going to add maybe 5reps to each every couple of days until I am up to the 30reps. Then will try and add sets...watch this space I guess...

What about my eating?

Breakfast rolls have been replace with a mixture of Fruit, Yoghurt, the odd scone, lunch has been replaced with usually a soup but have slipped in the odd Panini so a bit of work needing done there. Dinner is still a problem area and depends upon what I'm doing so really need to knuckle down on that, should be making a big pot of soup (Chorizo and Sweet Potato) which is good for a few meals ( I can make it into pasta dish, curry and other meals just by adding stuff, I'm rather proud of this one!)

Second positive of the period:

Its working, the small differences I have made so far are having an effect! I have noticed that some of the clothes I wear regularly are actually feeling a little bit more comfortable on me!

Although I am looking to lose weight I am not focussing on that as my measuring tool. I want to see my bulk/belly reduce so I can get back into some old clothes and also be able to go out and buy myself smaller jeans again! I also want to see my abilities improve I will be happy to go to a class in a few weeks/months down the line and do the circuit and have the guys say "well done"!

Made the first step, time for the second

So here we are a whole 3 days into the new year of 2013 and I'm not doing to badly.

Haven’t made any major leaps into exercising, but instead found other ways of doing it.

On the first I spent a couple of hours moving furniture and cleaning in a bar, now not exactly your usual exercising method, but the lifting, carrying, sweeping and mopping and likes certainly go me moving and sweating, isn’t that what exercising is?

On the second I had a bit of a long lie and then hit the streets, I spent a few hours walking around town and if you know Edinburgh there is a good few hills and steps to get you going, so I took each one as an obstacle pushing a deal harder to get up it, even to the point of jogging up one set (the steps at the mound by the galleries if you know them).

Tonight I plan to take on a Tae-Bo DVD...Yeah before I get the trolls saying anything (as people like to criticise anything and everything) I am doing all sots to get moving!

I don’t want to jump straight into destroying myself with huge runs and sessions at the gym as I probably would just destroy myself, by doing it this way I keep my steps manageable and therefore less disheartening and at least I know I am actually doing something and moving in the right direction rather than spending the whole night on the sofa!

I have also noticed an opportunity for another challenge. The Tough Mudder (http://toughmudder.co.uk/ and on twitter @ToughMudder) is another obstacle course similar to the others mentioned previously (Spartan Race and Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest) but seems to be crazier! The event is 12ish miles with some of the craziest obstacles ever invented by members of the Special Forces if you go by the website. So the question I am asking myself is, is 8 months enough time to prepare for it?? They have some great training resources on the site that again I could add to the schedule, so might see how that goes to see if I can get to the top set anywhere near the event. I may potentially just volunteer this year and make it one of my other targets for next year as I already plan to attempt the Coast to Coast event (http://www.scotlandcoasttocoast.com/).

I am also going to be hassling my friend who came up with the idea of Man Mornings with his missus. He liked the idea of heading to the meadows with some of the guys, doing some training and then chilling out for a bit with them on Saturdays or Sundays. I agree that it is brilliant and I might even be able to recruit some of the guys for the other events too! :D

Well that’s all the updates I have for now, please help me to make this interactive and comment, all info and conversation is greatly appreciated, internet trolls will be handled differently :D