put on your joggers and lets get physical.

hi everyone,

how are you all? i hope you are well.
well i have not followed my diet as strickly as i should have but i did ok. i know that i stuffed up this evening because i went out in the middle of the day and took longer than expected and i did not have lunch before i went, so when i got home i was so hungry i could have sworn my boyfriend looked alot like a hamburger!

but here is what i ate (because i promised i would be honest)

breakfast:

1 cup of special k advantage with 1/4 cup of skim milk.

snack:
1 small no fat yoghurt (nestle passionfruit)

late lunch:
toasted ham and cheese wrap

dinner:
2x homemade pizzas on pita bread
ham, cheese, salami (VERY BAD), pinapple, lite sour cream (ALSO VERY BAD) and sweet chilli sauce

i can recognise why i stuffed up though. i have to eat properly for breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner or else my blood sugars go out of control and i end up wanting to eat everything in sight. so tomorrow, i am going to be more prepared and hopefully i can make an even better progress. but even though i stuffed up a little bit- my boyfriend restrained me from eating a large bag of chips and a chocolate bar from the supermarket- so without him i probably would have done alot worse.

tomorrow i am going to go meet some girls for a walk along the river, and then paul and i are going to take ziggy to the doggy beach where i will do a bit more exercise. i was seriously considering joining a gym, but i am going to see if i can do it the cheaper way- with my sneakers and full body resistence. tomorrow my exercise plan will be this:

1hr walk
15 situps
20 push ups (the knee version for now)
2x 30 second planks
30 Lunges
30 squats
20 bicep curls
20 tricep extensions
20 quad knee and arm extension


some strength training (resistence training) exercises you can do at home courtesy of (http://www.mydr.com.au/). just do what you can. if it starts to get really painful stop immediately. and dont forget to stretch afterwards :)

 Lunges — to strengthen your hamstrings (back of thigh), quadriceps (front of thigh), gastrocnemius (calf) and gluteus maximus (bottom) muscles. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, hands on hips. (Optional: hold a small hand-weight in each hand, with your hands by your sides.)
1 rep = step one leg a generous stride length forward and bend this knee to make a right angle between your thigh and your shin. Allow the heel of the back foot to lift off the ground as you bend the back knee towards the floor. Hold for a few seconds, then return to standing upright. Do the same movement, this time moving the opposite leg to the front. Note: keep your back straight and head upright throughout; make sure that your front leg does not bend beyond forming a right angle between your thigh and shin, that is, don’t allow your front knee to extend over your foot.

 Wall push ups — to strengthen your chest, arm, shoulder and upper back muscles. Stand facing a solid wall at arm’s length, with feet shoulder width apart. Place the palms of your hands flat on the wall, at shoulder height. Before starting, step your feet back a few inches.
1 rep = slowly lean closer to the wall and let your hands take some of your weight by allowing your elbows to bend. Keep your back and neck straight and in line with your legs; avoid bending at the hips. Lean as close to the wall as is comfortable and hold for a few seconds, then straighten your elbows as you return towards the upright position. Remember to keep your abdominals contracted to prevent your back from arching. Note: this exercise is really a standing ‘push up’. The exercise requires more effort the further that your feet are back from the wall. As you gain strength you may like to progress to a knee push up, which is performed on the floor in a face-down position, and then to a standard push up.

 Squats — to strengthen your quadriceps (front of thigh), gluteus maximus (bottom) and soleus (deep calf) muscles. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. (Optional: hold a small hand-weight in each hand.)
1 rep = slowly bend at the hips and knees, lowering yourself until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Slowly return to standing upright.

 Biceps curl — to strengthen your biceps muscle (at the front of your upper arm). Stand comfortably, with your feet shoulder width apart, and hold a small hand-weight in one hand, palm facing to the front.
1 rep = bend your elbow so that you raise the hand-weight to your shoulder, stopping short of fully flexing your elbow. Return to the starting position by slowly lowering your forearm. Avoid fully straightening your elbow. Keep your wrist straight throughout.

 Triceps extension — to strengthen your triceps muscle (at the back of your upper arm). Lie on your back on a floormat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a small hand-weight in one hand, at arm’s length above your shoulder. Use your free hand throughout this exercise to support the upper arm that’s being worked, aiming to keep it in a vertical position, perpendicular to the floor. Avoid holding the weight over your face or head.
1 rep = slowly lower the weight, stopping just before your elbow is fully bent (flexed). Return the weight to the starting position.

 Abdominal crunches — to strengthen your rectus abdominus muscles (at the front of your abdomen). Lie on your back on a floormat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart. Rest your forearms crossed over your chest with your hands on your shoulders. Tuck your chin into your chest to ensure the back of your neck is lengthened.
1 rep = raise your head and upper back off the floor as far as is comfortable, aiming to raise yourself to your knees. Concentrate on using the muscles at the front of your abdomen to achieve this movement, rather than bending your neck and upper back excessively. Hold for a few seconds, then gently lower your head and upper back to the floor.

 Quad knee and arm extension — to strengthen your upper, middle and lower back muscles. On a floormat, position yourself on all fours (on your hands and knees) with your back flat and parallel to the floor. Focus your eyes on the mat to keep your neck straight.
1 rep = while keeping your head, neck and back in a straight line, slowly raise one arm and the opposite leg off the ground, so that the elevated limbs are in line with your torso. Hold for a few seconds, then lower your limbs to the floor again. Repeat using the opposite limbs. Hold your abdominal muscles tight to prevent your back from arching.

alot of people think you need to pay all this money for personal trainers and gym memberships and yes they may be awesome to have- if you are poor like me it does not mean we cannot achieve the same results. in fact research has shown that resistence training is effective in women with pcos because it is safer on the body for weightloss. i am certainly not an expert but if doing resistence training means i dont have to spend a fortune on a gym membership i am going to give it a go. if you are a bit nervous about exercise or find it hard to get motivated start off by doing 15 minute walks twice a day and slowly increase it. any exercise is better than nothing.

well my girls goodluck with the exercise. we can do this!!!!!!!!!!!

lots of love,

cat xoxo