Perth was hit with an abrupt change in the weather this morning, and I woke up to a rainy and all-around quite chilly morning. My favourite running weather!

I planned to break up yet another dreary study day with a nice run. Driving anywhere for a run, however, seemed like nothing more than intentional procrastinatory tactics. Wanting to hit 2.5km and not really feeling like just running around the block two and a half times, I hit up MapMyRun’s Route Genius to see if I could get a nice, 2.5km circle from right outside my front door.

I refreshed the Genius a few times to find a good circular one that didn’t have me crossing the major highway parallel to my street. I took it, though it wasn’t quite long enough and I had to add a little tail to the end by heading to the end of the block and back.

This was a good run. I felt alive and it sprinkled on me a bit and hit 2.5km without too much difficulty. I keep picturing what running will be like when I lose that extra weight that I have to live with for now as a result of my sickness – I can’t wait.

Day 26 Instagram

The Details

RUN

Distance: 2.5km (Como)

Time: 19:42.6

Pace: 7:53/km

Surface: Pavement, a few gradual hills (up and down

Notes: Finally, no pauses! Awesome run. No music. More tightness in left calf. Very numb feet for last 300m or so.

I’ve made it a quarter of the way through! After the first few days this has actually been much easier than I anticipated – it’s mostly just been a matter of pre-planning. It’s probably useful that I’ve given myself some lower-energy exercise days (like today) with yoga, so I don’t totally burn myself out.

This particular yoga session made for a nice, mid-afternoon break in a day of university study the day before a test.

All around the yoga was once again lovely, although it was so humid today that downward dog was a little tricky because my hands were wet and slippery! I actually feel that this yoga session was a bit too short – tried to combine it with a bit of stretching to finish up.

Day 25 Instagram

The Details

YOGA SESSION

‘Day 5 – Feel Alive Flow – 30 Days of Yoga‘ by Yoga with Adriene

Somewhat spontaneously, in a moment of procrastination-based inspiration, I decided in the uni library at about 3.45pm to do Jacob’s Ladder today.

I’d been planning on another beach run before heading to my boyfriend’s for the night, but he felt too sick to hang out and so I’d lost my motivation. It felt too hot to run anywhere else, but the beach was the opposite direction from heading home. Yesterday had been such a pathetic workout that I didn’t feel like yoga would cut it. So I gave up on my study for the day and headed towards Kings Park.

It wasn’t the smartest decision I’d ever made. It was sweltering hot, and not quite cool enough to really be doing cardio outside yet, but luckily most of Jacob’s is in the shade and the sea breeze had started to come in. It was pretty hard, though, and I was definitely slower than last time.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the people I saw at Jacob’s Ladder last time climbing with weights strapped to themselves, and brought it up with my aunt (and favourite advisor) while I was catching up with her yesterday. Her insight, as always, was remarkably wise – not only do I have boobs to weigh me down when none of the dudes with the weights did, but I also have excess body weight weighing me down.

I am about 20kg heavier than I “should” be according to most generally accepted standards, and that’s just like carrying 20kg of weights strapped to my body. And it’s not just in my stair climbing – it’s in every exercise I do. Running. (Attempted) chin-ups. Squats, push-ups, planks. Even swimming.

And so lay a fresh way to think about weight loss. I’ve been battling with B.E.D. for the past five or so years (having been diagnosed about six months ago), and I’ve been looking for useful and productive ‘interrupters’ to my strong, overeating habits. So far, some of the things that have worked include cold showers, phoning my favourite people for a chat, literally snapping out of it, and trying to rework my usual routine to make bingeing impossible.

My aunt suggested that, pre-binge, I just think about what it would feel like to feel 20kg lighter when I run. To feel like I am flying.

It’s worked as a total interrupter twice so far.

Feeling so positive, so loved and so as if I’m heading in the right direction.

Day 24 Instagram

The Details

JACOB’S LADDER/PUSH UPS CIRCUIT

• Climbed Jacob’s Ladder x 4
  • 1st climb: 3:22.7
  • 2nd climb: 3:46.4
  • 3rd climb: 4:06.8
  • 4th climb: 4:02.9
• Down Jacob’s Ladder x 4
• Incline pushups – 4 x 25 reps
• Cool down – leg stretch

The day after the public holiday (on which I hosted a fairly raucous party) I woke up utterly unable to exercise. My head hurt like a bitch and I had that gungy, unclean feeling running through my body that only comes from a hangover. I got up, took Panadol, cleaned the house for a good couple of hours and sunk into the paddling pool still left outside.

The rest of the day was busy. I had a job interview just after midday, caught up with my aunt for a long chat over coffee, and was heading out with my housemate for dinner and a Fringe show in the evening. About halfway through the show, at about 9.30 at night, I realised I hadn’t exercised yet and started to panic. I couldn’t break the streak! But I was exhausted, still not feeling 100% and it was damn late.

We ended up getting home at about 10pm and I rolled out my yoga mat in my bedroom to do a quick bodyweight workout.

And, look, it wasn’t much. But it was definitely something. I got a little puffed, a little sweaty, and pushed myself beyond just sinking into bed in the end of a long day. They can’t all be good workouts (or good Instagram posts, for that matter). I’m calling it a win.

Day 23 Instagram

The Details

BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT

• Bodyweight squats (4 x 25 reps)
• Crunches (4 x 25 reps)
• Push ups on toes (4 x 10 reps)

The morning of the public holiday I got up nice and early to do another F45 class. This one was ‘Romans’, described by the trainers on Monday as “more strength-based”. I was looking forward to it but also apprehensive – I had found their cardio class hard, and I think cardio is probably my strong suit.

It was definitely hard, and there was a lot I found very difficult. Annoyingly, I had to pause in quite a few of the exercises to let my legs drop, or shake it out. I try to remind myself when that happens that it just means there’s something to aspire to!

I really do like the F45 structure. Currently fiddling with my budget to try and accommodate it.

Day 22 Instagram

The Details

F45 TRAINING SESSION

• Army pushups (4 x 35 second sets)
• 1 leg squats – with TRX (4 x 35 second sets)
• Bench press w dumbbell – 10kg first 2 then 9kg second 2 (4 x 35 second sets)
• Bent over row with sandbag (4 x 35 second sets)
• Dumbell pushups – 3kg (4 x 35 second sets)
• Sled pull with the rope then push – 20kg disc – plus 10kg kettle bell second round (4 x 35 second sets)
• Sandbag pushups (4 x 35 second sets)
• Diagonal lunges with dumbbell – 6kg (4 x 35 second sets)
• Shoulder press with barbell – 10kg (4 x 35 second sets)

 

On Wednesday I it was hot. I slept in a bit and hadn’t had time to do any exercise before work, so settled on after my intensive class finished for the day – at 7pm. Luckily, UWA is nestled on one of the most beautiful bits of foreshore in the world.

I set myself a 2.5km goal, but something about the heat, the bad socks I was wearing (again, oops) and the overall state of exhaustion meant I only made it 2.08km before stopping. I did run 2.5km in total, though – I took short, 150-metre-ish bursts between stopping to walk.

Day 21 Instagram

The Details

RUN

Distance: 2.5km (Crawley Foreshore)

Time: 20:26.5

Pace: 8:10/km

Surface: Pavement, flat

Notes: Very hot. Made it 2.08km before stopping and the last 420m was in shorter bursts with walks in between. Left calf pain about 1.5km in.

Well today I woke up sore and unmotivated. Something at F45 must have really cranked my back muscles like nothing has in a while because I felt alright everywhere apart from the whole of my mid to lower back, where there was an awful twinge-y pain.

I procrastinated leaving for exercise until I thought it was probably too late to do anything, but eventually convinced myself to head to the pool again and drive straight to work from there. I had been surprised by how quickly I had been able to get a good workout in limited time from swimming last time, and it worked a treat again.

Swimming was also much gentler on my poor, sore back! It was a nice, low-impact way to get some cardio.

I did end up smelling like chlorine all day today though. Guess the lesson is to actually have a plan about timing for the next morning when I go to sleep the night before.

Day 20 Instagram

The Details

SWIM

10 x 50m laps

• Lap 1 – Freestyle – 1:02.8
• Lap 2 – Breaststroke – 1:38.5
• Lap 3 – Backstroke – 1:31.7
• Lap 4 – Breaststroke– 1:37.6
• Lap 5 – Freestyle – 1:12.9
• Lap 6 – Breaststroke – 1:43.6
• Lap 7 – Backstroke – 1:25.7
• Lap 8 – Breaststroke – 1:46.1
• Lap 9 – Freestyle – 1:10.9
• Lap 10 – Breaststroke – 1:41.7

Note – no pausing between laps this time! Resistance pain in left ankle for last few freestyle laps.

Last week I signed up to a free trial at a new F45 Training gym near-ish to me. The gym just opened up less than a few weeks ago, so its free trial period is a lovely and generous 2 weeks. This morning was the start of that – at 7.15am. I was regretting the decision when the 6.30 alarm went off but I guess it’s time to start transitioning back into a university-appropriate body clock.

F45 stands for ‘Functional 45’ and the concept is simple and highly appealing to my more anal side. After a quick warmup, the workouts are comprised of 3 circuits, each with 3 stations. You complete a circuit four times, with 45 seconds of intense work on each station and 15 seconds to change between stations. Between circuits there is a 1 minute drink break before starting on the next one. It’s fast-paced and exhausting, but you only need to motivate yourself in short bursts before moving onto the next thing and the trainers were just the right amount of peppy.

This morning I went to ‘Athletica’, their cardio circuit. The short review? Yeah, I loved it – even though I was reunited with my old enemy, The Sled. I signed up for my next class on Thursday, ‘Romans’, which I gather is more strength based. And I think I’m going to look for some room in my budget to join for good. The vibe, the format and the class size is exactly what I’m looking for.

Day 18 Instagram

The Details

F45 TRAINING SESSION

• Warm up
• Box jumps – 4 x 45 second sets
• Bosu ball push-ups – 4 x 45 second sets
• Ropes – heaviest! – 4 x 45 second sets
• The Sled push – 20kg weight added – 4 x 45 second sets
• TRX squat jumps – 4 x 45 second sets
• Skipping rope – 4 x 45 second sets
• Cycling – medium resistance – 4 x 45 second sets
• Bicycle crunches – 4 x 45 second sets
• Kettle-bell burpees – 10kg (per arm) – 4 x 45 second sets
• Cool down – stretch

Today I have cramps and feel crummy and generally didn’t want to do exercise.

I was planning on meeting my friend to do Jacob’s ladder again before meeting up with a couple of other girls for brunch in King’s Park but – goddamnit – I forgot to pack my shoes when I went to the boyfriend’s last night.

Without doing exercise first thing I was pretty good at procrastinating doing some all day. For the first time in this challenge I half-considered just skipping a day.

But no! I rolled the yoga mat out in the backyard and managed to get a nice session of yoga for my back in. And it helped the cramps quite a bit. Yippee!

Day 18 Instagram

The Details

YOGA SESSION

‘Yoga For Your Back – 30 Days of Yoga – Day 4‘ by Yoga With Adriene

 

Yesterday was one of the trickier days so far to fit a workout into. It was my boyfriend’s birthday, I started the day off at his place, had class from 10am – 1pm and then was heading back to his for 6.30. And I wanted to fit making a cake into that timeframe!

Turned out the best time for me to workout was around 1 in the afternoon, and I fancied a run. It was far, far too hot to try and head out in the midday sun though so I headed to the gym to use the treadmill.

It was a pretty meh run – I got a bit stitch-y and think it probably had something to do with the fact that I’d eaten lunch less than an hour before jumping onto the treadmill. It was pretty hot in the gym too, with it’s huge windows!

I felt much less stressed afterwards though.

Day 17 Instagram

The Details

TREADMILL RUN

Distance: 2km

Time: 15:37

Pace: 7:47/km  (average)

Surface: Treadmill (no incline)

Notes: Moved speed up and down as I felt able as I went. Paused for less than a minute at 1.5km – foot pain and exhaustion! Ate not long before the run, don’t think that helped.