Planning.....

When I decided to start trying to lose weight I had one massive end goal in sight! I wanted to be skinny by my 30th Birthday in October. Since I set that goal I've ended up setting a ton of other smaller goals some I didn't mean to set and others I didnt manage to achieve but throughout this process, setting goals and planning my next stages are what really has kept me motivated!

So I've decided to share my next mini goal with you.............We've been invited to an event during May! This is the first time I will have seen a lot of the people at this event since before I started on this journey so I want it to be obvious how well I've done, and on top of that I want to be able to fit into a really cute outfit!

This past weekend I decided that with 17 days to go it was time I got myself motivated so I drew up a plan.....

My 32 day plan basically consists of working through the 30 day shred and setting out what days I'm going to do my PT weights programme, Body Pump, Spinning aswell as continuing with my running. Phew I'm exhausted just looking at that list.

As of today I have 14 days (2 SHORT WEEKS) until the event however I've devised a 32 day plan to get me through the rest of the month.

As well as the exercise plan I've decided to limit my carb intake. I'm still going to eat carbs - I really need them as fuel for my workouts but not in the evenings and certainly not have as many of them!

So far I've managed three days of the plan without any hiccups. Easter was a bit of a challenge but I have my gold Lindt bunny as a reward after the event in 2 weeks time! To be perfectly honest with you I find having a schedule to stick to easier than not having one, it seems to be keeping me motivated.........as well as this :-)

LINDT BUNNY - AVAILABLE IN ALL GOOD SUPERMARKETS

The Bunny is Coming!!!!

SOURCE

ITS EASTER WEEKEND!!!!!! Yey!!!! I've been looking forward to the long weekend for a while! Not for any reason in particular but it'll just be lovely to have a weekend with the kids and the husband! I'm still planning on hitting the gym tomorrow but due to it being Good Friday I get the week off PT - I've got a double session next week to make up for it though!

Anyway given that I'm planning on spending this weekend with the husband and kids and indulging in an easter egg, I wont be back posting until Tuesday!

Have a great Easter weekend whatever you are doing! Don't feel guilty for a little indulgence!!

Ouch I'm Sore........Time for Active Recovery

Oh my word I am so sore.......I've spent the last 2 days doing HIIT training for fat burn and weight training! I've been doing weight training for a short while but not with much intensity. I've recently found out that I have an event to go to at the start of May so decided I really need to work on my back, triceps and biceps so I can look cute in whatever I decide to wear!

As I've been working out hard I decided that today would be an active recovery day.....I love active recovery. I still feel like I'm doing something but all my aches and pains get time to ease off!

What is Active Recovery?
In short active recovery is basically a very low intensity workout compared to what you would normally be doing.
Active Recovery is very subjective to the person doing it! For example a marathon runner will be able to a slow jog the day after an intense training session! I however wouldn't. For me a light jog is an intense session so my active recovery would be a short walk or such like.

Personally I feel so much better on the days that I do active recovery compared to the days that I just chill out at home. I don't feel as lazy and it means I stick with my clean eating plan as I'm still being active.

Ideas for Active Recovery
I certainly do not profess to be an expert but here is what has been working for me........

1) Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) FOAM ROLLING - I had to google it's actual name as I tend to refer to it as Foam Rolling. Essentially you roll the sore aching parts of your body on large chunks of foam.....Whilst admittedly at the time rolling the foam on your sore aching muscles actually kills, afterwards the release feels amazing!

2) Walking - Along with swimming this is my favourite. Generally I don't really like walking but when everything is sore, getting outside for a moderate walk is great! Obviously it's not a high calorie burner but I firmly believe the positive mental effects outweigh the amount of calories burnt.

3) Swimming - My absolute Favourite!!!!!! Its low stress due to the weightlessness in the water and fairly relaxing! Generally I do 20-30 lengths, I've found that this is just enough to release the tension in my arms, shoulders and back. It's also enough to get my heart rate up a bit so I feel like I'm still getting a strenuous workout it.

4) Cycling/Spinning - Doing this at a light intensity is great the day after a leg workout! Yes it hurts at first but keep going and you'll find that all the stiffness disappears!

4) Yoga - Stretching is great, It gives you a really moderate workout and relieves a lot of muscle tension. Lets be honest who doesn't like the relaxation period at the end of a yoga class............Just don't start snoring!

Race for Life 2014

A few months ago I decided I needed some extra motivation and another goal to work towards. To be honest whilst I really want to lose this weight, just having that to work towards is becoming quite difficult. I love being in the gym and I love getting fitter but the amount of weight I want to lose seems too unachievable. Obviously I know it's not, so I figured if I set myself another non weight related goal, I could still train as hard as I am doing but with another focus in mind. I'm then hoping that the weight will come off without me realising I'm trying! 

So, I signed up for the Cancer Research Race for Life. Three of my grandparents have died from Cancer and countless other people I know are being affected by it, so I thought this was a bloody good charity to raise money for!

I haven't run any sort of distance since I left school 14 years ago...........so this I'm actually finding this quite hard. Running long distance is not my strong point, so I'm planning a combination of sprinting, running and walking to hopefully get me round the 5k in under 1 hour.

So far my training hasn't been that great. I've managed at least 1 day per week but I'm starting to think that maybe that isn't enough. I've also fallen in love with running outdoors so plan on increasing my training within the next week after all June 8th isn't that far away (bring on the summer)!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am looking for sponsorship so if you could spare a £1 or so I'd very much appreciate it...........You can donate on the Just Giving website