Image Credit

I love this ad campaign from Asics.

‘Running releases more than just sweat’.

Tonight was supposed to be a strength training workout, but all day I had been telling myself I needed to get out for a run again.

There is always a voice inside my head when I am running, but it is a good voice!

So I got out there and pounded out five kilometres in 35 minutes flat, and in the process pounded out about four months of crap from my head.

That’s what running does for me, it just takes all that stuff away.

I can’t believe I spent the last few months eating through it instead of just running through it.

No wonder they say…

Image Credit

I woke up fresh this morning, determined to put yesterday behind me.

I felt positive that no matter what the scales told me, today was going to be a good day.

And it was!

So, my stats after ten days are:

CURRENT WEIGHT: 62.9 kgs

LOSS: 0.3 kgs.

TOTAL LOSS: 1.4 kgs

And you know what?

I’m happy with that.

Really happy.

But the best part of my day wasn’t the weigh-in.

It was tonight when I went for a five kilometre run.

I know that running is my secret weapon.

It gives me everything I need to believe in myself.

And when you believe, you achieve.

Image Credit

Day Nine, you were TOUGH!

My own fault, mind you.

I let my head rule today.

I listened to it tell me why I wasn’t going to achieve as much as I intend to over these twelve weeks.

And boy, did that voice go to town on me when I hopped on the scales.

Weigh in isn’t until tomorrow, but I’m not expecting to ‘pull’ a big number.

Remember, I’m the one who said numbers don’t count?

Well, that little voice begged to differ today, when the scales told me that I’d lost a total of….

100 grams.

Not.

Even.

Joking.

In six days?

I’ve only lost 100 grams?

But tonight, after a 20 minute run and half hour power walk, I realised that this is all part of the plan.

Days like today, well they probably teach me more about myself than calories or kilograms ever could.

I saw a glimpse of the ‘old’ me today, and I didn’t like it, not one little bit.

The good news is I still have 75 days to go.

This is a marathon, not a sprint after all.

Another great day of clean food and solid exercise, just perhaps a little more ‘adult rated’ than I was expecting!

Tonight I did the Kathy Smith – Build Muscle Shrink Fat DVD.

Its been sitting in my cupboard for at least a year, but I don’t think I’ve ever done it until tonight.

Surely not, or I would have remembered one particular thing about this workout.

Kathy Smith is great – if you like a little ‘woo hoo’ with your workout, she’s your girl.

And this DVD rocks.

Lots of strength training and core work, and plenty of lunges, squats, push ups, planks and ab work.

There’s just one teeny tiny thing that kind of threw my concentration as I was trying to do my 1,000th lunge, and that was when Kathy gave me a little instruction I wasn’t quite expecting.

You see, here in Australia, we call our…um….rear area….

Our backside.

Our bottom.

Our buttocks.

Our ‘bum’ if you will.

But Kathy, when she told me to squeeze it tonight, she didn’t call it that at all.

Oh, no, no, no.

She called it something entirely different.

A word that here in Australia we use to refer to our….errr….’front bottom’ if you will.

Here’s Kathy showing off her…..

Give me an

F

Give me an

A

Give me an

N

N

Y

And I tell you, when Kathy was telling me to squeeze it, I very nearly wet my pants right there and then.

Which just goes to show maybe she does have a point.

Perhaps I do need to include some pelvic floor exercises in the mix!!

Image Credit

Sunday.

My first rest day.

I certainly made the most of it, spending a lovely morning at our backyard beach.

This afternoon it was all about preparing for the week ahead as I did another cook up, filling the frige and freezer with enough meals to take me through to next weekend.

I’m following the calorie plan to the letter, but am substituting a few meals here and there with other recipes on the plan.

This week I’ve got Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry, Lentil Bolognaise, Pumpkin Soup, and Penang Chicken on my dinner menu.  It’s Summer, I know, but I still enjoy a nice hot meal at the end of the day.

Breakfast will be Berry Bruschetta each day as I love it so much, and lunch is Roast Vegetable Salad with Fetta, Curried Egg And Lettuce in wraps, and Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad.

Obviously I make enough to cover me for more than one meal, and I’m sure I’ll still have leftovers from it all by week’s end.

So there we have it.

Week One done!

I’m excited all over again as I get set to enter Week Two!

One of the things that Deb continually reminds us of is that this challenge is for ourselves, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

So whilst I would have loved to physically create a board this week, I actually used Pinterest and created a virtual vision board for now instead.

You can see the board here, and below are the images I’ve chosen.

I’ve tried to create a visual version of how I see myself over the next few months, through health, exercise, and a positive mindset.  I’ve also included a few outfits as I’d love to splash out on some clothes for the first time in years once I finish 12wbt.

The images of New York are a constant reminder of the amazing experience Mr G and I had when we travelled there four years ago, and I hope to return again in the next few years.

Hamilton Island is also there as I’d love for us to take our first family holiday and (very belated) honeymoon there, and of course the other beachside images are to remind me of what is in our very own backyard.

This morning I thought the best way to cheer her up would be to head down to our Backyard Beach, and cheer her up it did.

Whilst I thought the water was a tad chilly myself, Miss A was more than happy to get her toes wet, followed by her feet, her legs, and well, pretty much just sit right in it really!

Beach therapy.

The cure of all ales, even school sores!

And when Mr G captured a shot of Miss A and I today, it instantly reminded me of a similiar one of us eighteen months ago.

Here we are then:

And here we are today:

I love the way we have the same natural, happy expression in both shots.

There is something very magical to treasure in these moments we share by the water.

Image Credit

So, today was my first Super Saturday Session (SSS).

After the ten kilometre walk last night, I backed it right up with another ten kilometres this morning, starting with a five kilometre run, and then a five kilometre walk.

I haven’t run that distance straight for a couple of months, and I was happy with my time.

As usual, I went out hard and did the first half in just over 15 minutes, but the second half took me just under 20 minutes, hence my renaming SSS as Shelley’s Shoebox Shuffle!

Of course I then had to walk the five kilometres back, and I maintained a solid pace the same as last night, so my total workout time was 1 hour 25 minutes.

Given that every muscle in my body was aching, I decided to focus on the one area that I really want to tone, and that wasn’t sore as yet, so this afternoon I did 50 minutes with Kathy Smith’s Tummy Trimmers DVD.

It’s safe to say tomorrow it may even hurt just breathing!

Lucky it’s a rest day.

I think I’ve earnt it.

Image Credit

I went for my ten kilometre walk tonight and was very happy with the time.

1 hour 35 minutes.

My girlfriend and I managed to talk the entire time, but that’s the whole point, right? Aren’t you supposed to be a little breathless, but still able to hold a conversation (ie: have a girly catchup chat??)

I find a nice long walk by the bay on a Friday night is such a great way to blow the cobwebs away from the week just gone and prepare for the weekend ahead.

I’m thinking of doing another 10 kilometre walk with Robbie Williams over the weekend. (Okay, with my iPod, don’t get technical!)

Tomorrow is SSS (Super Saturday Session), where we double our workout time, and aim to burn 1000 calories.

I’m planning on doing a five kilometre run, a five kilometre walk back, as well as a DVD.

Think I’ll be keeping good company with my DOMS over the weekend!

This week’s Grateful theme is nature.

Back in December 2010 when I started my current job I posted a grateful post about my beachside commute, and I still feel that exact same gratitude each and every day.

There is something immensely calming in being surrounded by water, no matter where I am, and it feels very much a part of me.

The quote above comes from this E.E. Cummings poem:

maggie and milly and molly and may

went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang

so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles, and

milly befriended a stranded star whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing which raced sideways while blowing bubbles: and

may came home with a smooth round stone as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)

It’s always ourselves we find in the sea.

Linking up with Maxabella Loves 52 Weeks Of Grateful