HALF WAY!! Week 7 of 14 week 10km challenge

I’m haaaaaaaalf way!! Can I get a woop woop!!

Apologies for the delay in my posts. Have been a little pre occupied with life lately. I haven’t slackened off and have remained dedicated to my vision of being able to run 10km without stopping!

Since my last post I have been on a little holiday back to my home town of the Sunshine Coast to see family and friends. Such a beautiful serene place to go on a run. I certainly took advantage of the beaches and beautiful timber tracks to let loose on. Normally when I head back to see my family, I will pack my sneakers (joggers), exercise clothes and always have very good intentions of running wild on the beautiful beaches. Generally what happened went like this; the sneakers and exercise clothes stay tightly packed in the suitcase for the duration of the trip and have basically just been on a fun plane ride to the destination but never get the chance to venture out and be used for what they were intended to be used for. My bad! But not this last trip! They ventured out a few times and also got to experience the sun, sand & surf landscape! Magical!

My body shape is changing for the better! I am toning in places that have always been, lets just say….flabby. This is the added bonus with this challenge. Not only am I fulfilling an achievement I have wanted to for a while, but I get a better body in the meantime. Bonus! In saying this, it doesn’t mean I eat anything I want. I am still watching what I eat, if not more so. The more you exercise and become fitter, the more you want to eat healthier anyway. Not only does my body shape change, but so does my attitude towards what I am putting into my body. Winning!

So being half way on this challenge means I should be able to run 5km now without stopping right? Right! Yes, I can now successfully run 5km without stopping! *Can I get a round of applause*! The best thing about this journey is when I completed my 5km run that night, I said to my boyfriend, “I’m not even that puffed”. He was like, “your right”, “you could keep running”! I was quick to tell him that was enough, but he was right I could have quite possibly kept running, but I want to do this without jumping the gun so to speak and relax my body into it, which it has been liking so far. Injuries I use to have e.g. sore knees, are no longer a problem. Its as if my body is gaining muscle and getting stronger to support these areas that use to struggle on the odd run here and there 🙂 I am very lucky on this experience to have the support of my boyfriend. He has a lot to do with my motivation and to help keep me striving towards this challenge. Was only the other night when I was venturing up a slight incline on my run (the full 5km one) when he could see I was determined to keep running, I was pushing through the change in the road incline. He pulled out his IPhone and found the “Eye of the Tiger” video on YouTube and started playing it beside me for support. What a legend! Its amazing what a groovy song can do to boost your mood!

So anyway, that’s been my last few weeks in a nutshell. I am loving this journey. Its unfogging (I don’t think that’s a word, whoops) my outlook and attitude to life in general. What a beautiful journey I feel I am on. Mind ~ Body ~ Soul. Today is a beautiful Sunday and I can do whatever I want, so off I go with my puppy on an 11km walk/run to the river to soak up this beautiful day and use the working legs I have been blessed with!!

xx 🙂

Week 3 complete of 14 week 10k Challenge!!

My stamina & endurance is improving!! Happy dance!!

This week I tried something different. Instead of following the application on my IPhone, I thought I would just “wing it” & see how I went. It worked! I went on a route that I haven’t been on before & just ran to my hearts content. I would still stop & take a few deep breaths if that was what my body was telling me to do & as soon as I listened to my body, I took off like I had wind up my butt & off I went!! Before I started training for this 10k challenge, I would here & there go out for a run, but would be so hard on my body & push myself so hard that I would end the run that exhausted & skip the next few days for my body to recover. Bad I know, my poor little body 😦

I also this week took a before photo. Oh dear!! Taking this photo alone made me want to just give up! Weird isn’t it, when I’m looking at a photo that clearly isn’t my “dream” body, but my first thought was, what’s the point. Ahmmm, hello, I am doing this to not only tone in places I am not happy with, but to also be living a healthier lifestyle. So I soon shook those thoughts out of my head & got rid of that mean girl ego!! Myself, the boyfie & the puppy all go out on the runs together. It is such a nice way for us to all spend quality time whilst getting fit in the process 🙂

So that was my week in a nutshell, a mini tanty from a photo & an awesome feeling of joy, energy & power & my body feeling the positive effects of this transformation!! Yay me!!

Time now to get out there & complete Run #1 of Week 4!!!

Week 2 complete of 14 week challenge!!

Week 2 complete!! 12 to go!

I have set myself a goal to be able to run 10ks at the end of 14 weeks. I am an avid exerciser anyhow, but do have weeks where I tend to withdraw & lose motivation. Hence why I have started this blog so it seems more real & I wont be letting myself down at the end & feel amaaaaaaaaaaazing!

Pretty happy with my efforts so far, although it is still early days. I am already noticing a difference with my fitness. The iPhone application that I use is great as it builds on the run slowly. It allows you to do 3 runs a week & gradually increase the endurance over the coming weeks so that your body doesn’t go into shock! Which mine would!

At the end of the 14 weeks I will post a before & after pic so you can see the difference 🙂

I have a dream. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so whatever it is you are striving towards, but finding yourself stuck, unmotivated etc, the biggest & best advice I can give is “baby steps”. You weren’t born talking & walking. Our bodies aren’t designed to be able to everything & anything overnight. So be gentle on your journey & you will look back & smile at how far you have come 🙂

J xx

Just do it!!

Have you ever made a pact to yourself to do something but always find a reason/excuse not to follow through?

Well hello, this is me down to a tee lately! Cant say I am very impressed with this way of thinking, in fact, it really makes me disappointed in myself and then this creates a ripple effect of more disappointment. So all in all, I am not really winning am I? I want to feel joy, excitement, energy from just doing something & at the end being so proud I succeeded.

Sounds so easy really, so why the procrastination, the thinking about, why not just do it???!!!

So I thought to myself, I need a little reward, so that in my head I am working towards something. Something at the end I will be proud of!

I have always wanted to be able to run 10km’s. I have been in a fun run or 2 to complete a 5km run, but always in my mind wanted to be able to run 10km. A little challenge you could say (we all need a challenge right!). No real reason why apart from the fact that I guess it is the next step for me above 5km & I have the added bonus of becoming fitter & healthier. So a week ago I downloaded an application to help me reach this goal over the next 14 weeks where I gradually build up the stamina & then before you know it, look at me go!!!

Everything happens with baby steps. One day, one step at a time & I WILL look back in 14 weeks & see how far I have come 🙂

I will post my updates on progress & how I am feeling good & bad days. Watch me ruuuuun! This girl is about to get fit!

xx

 

Overwhelmed with healthyness!!

Is it just me or is there an overwhelming amount of healthy blogs/recipes out there! Yes, I am one of them & not helping the situation, but there are so many these days that I get that overwhelmed I pretty much just end up scanning through everything & never really sinking my teeth so to speak into any of them or really feeling like I am living a healthy lifestyle as I find I just fluff from one blog to the next. So, anyway…..it got me thinking & I am vowing to myself to get stuck into one blogger a week so I can understand it heart & soul, inside & out! Watch this space if you are after some weekly inspiration & I will share a blog a week that has truly inspired me 🙂

So below is the links to the blog I choose to look around, snoop, get inspired & feel completely inspired with this week!!

http://alifeofperfectdays.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.conniechapman.com/