January H2O - The Results Are In!

Well, it's finally the end of January and the end of January H2O. How did I go, you may ask?

Well, I passed with flying colours by not drinking Coffee for the entire month! As a result, I'm sleeping better and feel marginally less stressed.

I failed miserably in regards to Alcohol :( The first two weeks were good, but then the one day where we all agreed that an alcoholic drink was allowed, set me back for the rest of the month. A sneaky drink here, a sneaky drink there ........ Big Fat FAIL!

Today was my first Coffee in a month. I was SO looking forward to it this morning. That mouth watering Coffee aroma said "Good Morning" when my fella served up a wonderful cup of dark liquid to me. And you know what? I really didn't enjoy it as much as I thought! I was gob-smacked!

Don't get me wrong. I will still enjoy my Coffee but in much smaller amounts. No Coffee at work is now my rule.

Hmm, an Iced-Coffee right now would be lovely :)

My New Sandbag!

I had big plans to make my own Sandbag, but bit the bullet and bought one. I figured a bag manufactured especially for Weight Training would be a safer option.

My new Sandbag contains 2 x inner bags which can be filled with sand or whatever you want. Instead of sand (which can be very messy) I went to the local Supermarket and sussed out kitty litter, rice and bird seed. Kitty litter was the winner. I bought 2 x 5 kg bags for $4.99 each.

So I've divided the kitty litter into 1 kg bags, I used zip lock bags. I then taped these zip lock bags for added protection and inserted them into the inner bags. I can fit 3 kg into each bag, plus 2 x extra 1 kg bags, so 8 kg in total. I still have 2 x 1 kg bags I can add if need be.

I've been religiously following Zuzana's workouts on Bodyrock.tv for almost two years now and her workouts incorporating a Sandbag are damn brutal!

Sandbag exercises can include Clean and Press, Snatch, Push Press, Get Ups, Lunges, Deadlifts, Squats and Rows (And they are just some examples)

Today I performed 100 x Lunges with Kick on each leg with my Sandbag on my shoulder. Wow, my legs are going to KILL tomorrow!

I have to say that since I've started using my Sandbag, I've noticed a marked increase in my stamina, instead of doing the 8 -12 reps x 3 sets at the gym (Boring!!) I'm performing 50 - 100 reps and really sweating my arse off! I'm basically working out to failure and LOVING it! Yeah I hurt the next day, but it's a satisfying, good pain! I can see my Thighs and Hamstrings finally!

I haven't performed any upper body moves yet with my Sandbag but that is on my agenda.

:)

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January H2O - The Half Way Mark!

So where am I at with my January H2O Challenge? Not bad, Not bad!

Let me just say that my resolve is much stronger than I expected. Out of the 8 or so people involved, only 3 of us remain. The first one dropped out after 4 days! He couldn't handle the head-ouches he was getting from the lack of caffeine from his coffee and diet coke!

I honestly thought I would cave and have coffee within the first week, but 20 days in, I can walk past a coffee chop and smell that yummy coffee and not think about grabbing one. I had head-ouches after a few days, but not as severe as I expected.

Last week I attended the cricket (Australia vs England) with the group I am doing the challenge with. Needless to say, all the guys decided it was a boozing day. (It was generally agreed that the cricket was one day where we COULD have a drink) I know, I could have refused, but I did end up having a few drinks that day. And you know what? I felt sooo bad. I felt guilty, I also ended up with the worst head-ouch I've had in a while. The next 2 days were hugely difficult to get any kind of motivation.

But I am back on track and determined to make it to the end of January with nothing but H2O coursing through my veins (along with that necessary red stuff of course!)

January H2O

It's nearly 2011, a New Year and a new attitude is required! I am looking forward to setting new monthly challenges and January's challenge has already been set!

Challenge number one! The challenge for the month of January is to drink nothing but water! This idea came about after a conversation with my workmates. I returned from a few days off and they informed me of this challenge. But they also said that they didn't expect anyone to complete it successfully. But I plan to prove them wrong!

December was a disaster in regards to eating and drinking the wrong foods. The fact that there were multiple Christmas parties to attend is no excuse. Exercise took a back seat as I spent days recovering from one big night out after another.

No alcohol, no coffee, no soda's, just water! I do believe that my work colleagues will have a harder time with this challenge than I will as most of them consume at least 3 x cans of Coke or Diet Coke throughout the day!

I don't drink soda's at all so that's not going to be a problem. BUT I am a coffee addict. I LOVE my coffee in the morning. And I also love a latte mid morning when at work.

I know I will feel better after the initial shock of weaning myself of coffee. I gave up coffee a few years ago (I drank 7 - 8 cups a day then) I experienced the worst headaches for about a week then felt great. Why did I start drinking coffee again? I'm not really sure, but I do really enjoy it! At this stage I drink 2 x cups per day, sometimes 3 - 4 cups per day. Each day is different.

Alcohol may be a problem. My fella and I like nothing more than to go out for dinner and share a bottle of wine on our days off........

I already drink a lot of water so the taste of H2O is no problem for me. Does anyone have any suggestions for challenges for the rest of 2011?

I'm looking forward to a healthier, fitter and stronger 2011!

Boosting Energy Levels

What do you do to boost your energy levels? I am the typical stress puppy, things get me down very quickly. Combined with shift work, lack of sleep, a less than average diet (which I am working to improve) that I find myself in a very deep hole at times.

Finding motivation to exercise when I've had a rotten nights sleep and knowing that I need to work a 12 hour night shift is often enough to say "not today".

My energy levels are very low at the moment. I've been eating lots of fruit and vegetables, protein etc. I've actually been sleeping like the dead and waking up feeling like I've had no sleep at all. I've had issues in the past with low iron, so I've even started taking iron supplements again as well as my daily Berocca.

I really think that I've reached the end of my shift work quota. I've been working shift work for 16 years and I'm so sick of it! Plus I haven't had a real holiday for almost a year, you know, the one where you can sit and do absolutely NOTHING for a week and not feel guilty!

I've been exercising regularly on my days off, weight training, long walks, interval training and even a bicycle ride. And I'm suffering such terrible aches and pains which is unusual for me.

Does anyone have any hints on boosting energy levels?

The Benefits Of Yoga

I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed Yoga. I'd practiced it off and on for many years but really haven't practiced much for the last couple of years.

Lo and behold, I hurt my back, yet again! I'd been working out quite happily in the gym, squats, dead lifts, lunges etc with no problems. The after workout pain was that good pain you get, you know, when you can feel you've had a good workout and can enjoy those benefits coursing through your muscles?

I'd done all the right things, not lifted too heavy, ensured I warmed up and cooled down, had a rest day in between.....

Then, 3 days ago, as I bent down to look in the fridge, BAM! I ended up on the floor in agony! FFS! Beats me what I did, but the last 3 days have been a nightmare. The day after I ended up in pain I thought, hmmm gentle exercise is the way to go, so went for a walk. A walk that should have normally taken me 10 minutes (to the local supermarket) took me 45 minutes! I was crying when I got there! So I waved down a taxi to take me home! (I am sooo ashamed)

My usual 5 minute walk to work this morning took me 15 minutes! So when I got home I dug out my Yoga Mat and took it out onto the terrace and performed the basic Sun Salutation. I could not do the Upward Facing Dog without pain so the Low Cobra did the trick!! I had absolutely no problem with any of the other moves and was pleasantly surprised at my flexibility. I'm not as flexible as I once was but am still above the average.

Needless to say, Yoga is going to become a regular in my fitness routine...... I miss it, I love it and I think I need it!

Eureka Stair Climb

As  I stated in my last blog I planned to take part in the Eureka Stair Climb but a sore back put an end to that. Instead I offered to work as a volunteer on the day.

That day was today. I helped out by handing out show bags to competitors at the end of their climb. I was then offered a chance to see inside the stairwells but at a price..... that price was to clean the stairwells of rubbish left behind by competitors.

I figured, I'm there to offer my services, at least I can say I've completed the climb! I'm feeling pretty fit, but 88 floors seemed kinda daunting. But I did it! After reaching the 88th floor, we were then taken up to the roof on the 92nd floor for a treat!

So I can safely say I have climbed 92 floors at Eureka Tower! I didn't throw up (someone else left their breakfast in the stairwell though) I'm not injured, and I now know that I am more than capable so there are NO excuses for next years event!

 :)