Day 21: Weigh in day (3 weeks down)

So weigh in day has snuck up on us once again but if you have been sticking to it then you shouldn't be nervous, I was excited to see what I had managed to accomplish so here are the results:

Weight lost this week: 300 grams
Total weight loss: 1.5kgs

Today's topic: Habits

So they say that it takes 21 days to make and break a habit. I can already feel myself getting into certain habits when it comes to both eating and exercising. So if the picture alongside has any truth to is then motivation has gotten me to where I am and habit will keep me going? However I believe I will still be using a bit of both.




Here are some good habits to get into:

1. Going to gym around the same time, make a routine out of it. I make sure that I go straight for work to gym, shower, then come home. If I don't do this then things feel out of place and just 'wrong' really.
2. Drinking water, if you like cold water like me then keep one big bottle of water in the freezer and drink the other, then replace during the day. Keeping water on you at all times means you will drink it and keep hunger at bay.
   
3. Start adding less sugar and milk to your tea or coffee, then switch to honey and no milk and eventually no milk, no sugar/honey.
4. If you don't already, start eating breakfast, its the best meal to eat during the day and skipping breakfast can mean binging, or eating more than you should later on, calorie intake should be spread out.
5. Start cooking at home, rather than going out to eat, they usually cook with the wrong oils or too much. They also tend to add unnecessary sauces.
6. Stop eating in front of the TV, you just end up eating more
7. Chew slowly (I need to work on this).
8. Get more sleep in.
9. Stand more, if you sit often during the day get up and walk around every half hour to hour.
10. Track your calories and exercise with MyFitnessPal.
11. Envision the goal :)

Finally, I realise I mentioned a lot of habits to get into, but always tackle them one at a time, once you feel confident you have it down move on to the next :)

Good luck :P

Day 19: Quickies 101

Wow, it's been a while, I don't even have a good excuse for not posting but I hope that you are all still on track :)

Here is what I have been up to since my last post on day 14.

• Day 15: Thursday Eating was good but I hit a wall in terms of exercise, I was just not in the mood. It wasn't laziness because I can usually power through that. This was just a mood problem and there was no changing my mood, I did a leg session and a brief cardio session. But just remember:
  
• Day 16: Friday was a good day, I dominated an ab and cardio workout and eating was spot on.

• Day 17: Saturday Did a good arm and leg session in gym but Sat night was a mega challenge, I went to a Halloween party in Seoul with everyone eating and drinking big time. I was sooo tempted to drink but I couldn't. When I thought about why I wasn't drinking I knew it wasn't for money and not even for health, at the time my biggest motivation to not drink was that I said to myself (and all of you) that I was only drinking again on the 2nd Nov, so I stuck to it. As for eating I have a confession to make, I ate a wrap (not bad), but followed by a waffle. Later in the night someone offered slap chips and once the box was open I grabbed a few :(. My final confession is that at about 2:30am I was feeling peckish and everyone was getting a pizza piece so I got a piece too. I am glad I told you all because I was feeling guilty, I did dance the night away for about 2 hours straight though till after 5am! And of course no added alcohol calories. 
• Day 18: yesterday was a rest (sleep) day so no gym but stuck to eating well :)

So my main update is I have been (proudly) on point in terms of food! My only hiccup was on Saturday night/next morning. Exercise has also been on form.

Todays topic: Quick sessions

Sometimes I find myself with little or no time to do things, not often, but when I do I have quick sessions that I can do! A lot of people have busy lifestyles, especially when you have to sit in traffic all day, it ends up taking up a lot of your day.

Here is a quick 10 minute sweat session to do in a short amount of time:

Torch Fat Fast: The 10-Minute Plyometric Workout

Here are 2 videos that will make you burn more than 100 calories in 10 mins or less:

Video 1
Video 2

Oprah's website has some good workouts

Extra info

• You should try do HIIT workouts as this burns more calories in a short period of time.
• According to USA Today "10 minutes on the treadmill still were measurable 60 minutes after people cooled down." So it will speed up your metabolism for an hour afterwards.
• If you can then try get more than one 10 minute workout spread out in the day :)

Enjoy the High intensity 10 minutes and make them count.
Peace xxx

Day 14: 2 weeks down... 10 to go

Yay can you believe week 2 is over? I am still trying to get 10 weeks till Thailand through my head!

So the end of week 2 obviously means weigh in Wednesday so here are the results:

Weight lost in week two: 400 grams
Total weight lost: 1.2kgs

In two weeks... can you believe it? As for centimeters there was a small decrease in bust, waist and hips but no change in the thighs (problem area) ahhhhhhh! But still good news :D

Today's session

Today in the gym I did arms and cardio. I made up an arms routine and it went as follows:

20 push ups
20 triangle push ups (hands make a triangle shape)
20 bent over rows (per arm) (6kgs per arm)
20 basic bicep curls (4 kgs in each hand)
20 tricep dips

Repeat for a total of three sets

As for my cardio I did this session but changed the speed up a bit!

Speed Changes:

2.8 - 6.6
3.0 - 6.6
3.2 - 6.8
3.5 - 7.1
6.5 - 11.5
7.0 - 12.3
7..2 - 12.6



I have had this session in my little black book (of exercises) for months but never did it because it seemed too relaxed. But after the change up it was a great workout for me to ease back into my usual routines :D

Arms

Link

So whats the best way to get the arms to burnnnnn? Try some of these :)

Good for bat wings

Jen's arms <3

Feel the burn xxx

Day 13: ABSolutely!

Hello world

I hope all is going swimmingly :) Lucky day 13!

Today was ab day in gym so just wanted give you a few ab workouts to try out! Here is what I did today:

All performed lying on you back

·         10 Pelvic Tilt/Imprint
·         15 second Pelvic Tilt/Imprint hold
·         10 Single leg top taps (lift leg up to 90 degrees)
·         10 Single leg top taps (legs are at 90 degrees, then drop one at a time to floor)
·         10 Double toe tap (legs are at 90 degrees, then drop both to tap the floor)
·         11 (per leg) Scissor kicks x 2 (shoulders off ground)
·         10 Leg extensions (legs at 90 degrees in air, extend both up till they are straight in the air)
·         100’s abs, shoulders off ground, arms above ground at sides, pulse arms 100 times. (legs bent on ground)
·         Slowly drop legs together from straight above you in the air till they touch the ground.
·         10 sec break
·         10 Double toe tap (legs are at 90 degrees, then drop both to tap the floor)
·         10 (per leg)  Double pulse scissor kicks x 2 (shoulders off ground)
·         10 Leg extensions (legs at 90 degrees in air, extend both up till they are straight in the air)
·         100’s abs, shoulders off ground, arms above ground at sides, pulse arms 100 times. (legs bent 90 degrees in air)
·         Slowly drop legs together from straight above you in the air till they touch the ground.

                     

And that was all followed by a cardio session.

Here are some more great ab sessions you should look at: (Click the word "link" underneath the pictures to go to the workout)

But most importantly,  remember that abs are made in the gym but uncovered in the kitchen. You need to get eating right to show your hard work :P

Link

Link

Link

And finally here are the ten best food for a flat stomach :)

Enjoy xx

Day 12: Size matters

Ah man, the weekend is over but another week means an opportunity to be better.

This weekend was tough, on Friday night I had a co-teacher's daughter's 1st birthday which is a biggie in Korea! This means endless food galore, so much food, wow. So I ate, I tried my best to keep it healthy but sometimes you can eat as much healthy food as you want and still put on weight. Hence the inspiration for this post, portion size is important. Saturday night we went for oven baked chicken and salad, again a good choice but portion size and sauce comes into play heavily!

So how much is too much?

A lot of the time eating out is your downfall, the portion sizes in restaurants are way too much. One dish can be up to 4 times the amount you need. Steaks for example, the average size in restaurants is over 300 grams when you only need under 100 grams.

Decided to have a packet of oven baked chips? (love the ones from woolies). Good choice, much better than fried crisps. However sometimes packets contain more than you need, you shouldn't have more than 28 grams to yourself in one sitting. This makes the woolies slimmers choice, 20g crisps perfect!

Carbs, most portions sizes are wrong, especially here in Korea, you only need one cup of pasta (not the 3 they served you) and stick to wholewheat if you can. As for white rice, don't even get me started! You only need 1/2 a cup (cooked). Also if you can switch out to brown rice, do so! "According to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, people who ate five or more servings of white rice a week had a 17 percent greater chance of getting the disease than those who ate virtually none" (Fitness Magazine, 2013). Now the question on all the waygooks' minds, how do Koreans do it? I can't help you there.

Going to spoil yourself with ice cream? Share it! You only need 1/2 a cup, not the giant one cup scoop they give you.

What about your home cooked meals?

What percentages should you be eating of each food group? Take a look at the pic I posted, 30% protein, 20% carbs, and 50% veg! I can say for sure that I'm not getting my portions right! And your overall amount can be measured with your hand. I posted another picture to help you with this.

A good suggestion: eat off side plates and smaller bowls, it makes it look like a lot more food and it tricks your brain! I do this and it works!

Stick with the right portions sizes, even when indulging and you will be losing that weight you can't seem to get rid of in no time! 

This is my challenge for the week, get working on my portions.

 Ps. I'm going back to my usual routine today. The knee feels good and ready to go. Wish me luck!  :D
I will start with 5 min warm up, then legs (20 sec on, 10 sec off, x4), might try this workout (link) with some donkey kicks for butt and maybe some machine work. Another good one I suggest is put a big ball between your back and the wall then squat down, hold and return to start. All followed by this HIIT treadmill workout :)

Good luck!

Day 9: The craving curve

Howzit going almal?

Missing some afrikaans in my life. lol.

Anyways there are more pressing matters at hand! Like that voice in my head saying, OK its been long enough give me some chocolate and amasweeties!

Scenario 1: The voice. How do we go about avoiding this voice. Well honestly sometimes you just have to listen, not give in, that's different and implies a loss of control, I don't like it. It is ok to get what you have been craving sometimes, but in moderation. If you deprive yourself you may find the craving will take over and this is promptly followed by a massive binge session.

Scenario 2: The dessert menu arrives. If you want a treat, share it with a friend, or ask for half portion (or now a days they are coming out with 'bite size' versions at restaurants apparently). If you know you are going to have dessert before hand, then ditch those last few spoon fulls of your main, or skip the appetizers/starters. OR if the size is right order only a starter as your main.

Oh man mr. Choco pie, why
do you have to be so good?

Scenario 3: Somebody offers you food/a treat. This happens so often in Korea, and it's rude to decline, but sometimes it has to be done. If you still can't bring yourself to do this (and you have the will power) take it and throw/give it away later.

Scenario 4: Something is free. This could be the same as the above. Sometimes just because its free I see it as free calories too, but no, those 120 calories in that choco pie will not just disappear! Just because its free doesn't mean you can have it, it still counts. :(

Scenario 5: You are bored at home. Boredom = imaginary hunger.  Solution: find alternatives to snack on, make some tea or drink water instead. I suggest the latter! Find alternatives for cravings in the picture below :).

Scenario 6: You just have a sudden craving, totally out of the blue and it needs to be satisfied... NOW. Well, no it doesn't actually. Wait 30 minutes and see how you feel then, still craving? Try whipping out your 'why am I doing this list', still want it? If this all has not worked then you  may have to go and get what you want (again in moderation)  You could also try eating the alternative to satisfy the craving (see above), but if you do this don't then go get what you wanted afterwards, you have then just added the calories instead of just eating what you wanted in the first place.

Love, love, love, love, love xx

Day 8: I just came to say hello

Herro everyone!

 Just checking in today! Will do a proper post tomorrow so see you then! Hope you are eating well and exercising. If not, get to it.

Much love <3

Day 7: 1 down 11 to go

Week one = one little step

Yay here we are, one week in! 11 weeks to go. Today also means the first week weigh in and measurements. So far I have lost 800 grams, close to one kg, and considering my goal is to lose just under 6 kgs in the 12 weeks I’d say I’m on my way! As for the centimeters not much change but no increases and as long as one of them are going down I’m happy! Also I’m using a construction tape measure which is very difficult to manoeuvre. :/

 Update on the knee, can you hate a body part? I feel like its hindering me so much, I just want to run free... on the treadmill. As the weather gets colder my knee gets more sore and my ‘rehab cycling’ might be making it worse. I may have to go back to physio :( Anyways that’s my sob story but that hasn't hindered my motivation, I’m still eating well and still going to gym every day. I’m super excited for what’s to come, I can’t wait to see the changing begin.

Today's challenge for you: write down a list of why you are doing this. Now whenever you feel like giving up, eating that second serving even though you're full, or missing a gym sesh, whip out your list and remind yourself why you're doing this!

Otherwise I don’t have much else to say today besides keep up the good work. Don’t give up, keep on keeping on and keep reading my blog, always love to see comments and likes!

Enjoy xx

Day 6: Everything is better in intervals

I have recently stumbled upon interval training and it has now become habitual in my workout lifestyle. What exactly is interval training? It is High intensity workouts followed by low intensity recovery periods. It burns more calories than a regular steady paced cardio workout. There are different types that can be used, some people do 20 seconds on/10 seconds off but different training programs will have different times. I usually use the 20/10 times for strength workouts, alternating between two exercises for 8 sets (lasting a total of 4 minutes per exercise). For example if it’s a leg day I might do 20 second squats, rest 10 seconds, then 20 second lunges, rest 10 seconds, repeat for 4 minutes. Then change the exercises for the next 4 minutes.

I mainly use HIIT (high intensity interval training) for my cardio. I love the treadmill but also do intervals on the bike (for example 30 second sprint, 60/90 second relaxed cycle). I get super bored very often so I have to change up my cardio as often as possible (which is good because if your body gets used to the same exercise you may find yourself in a weight loss plateau). I mostly do fast walking uphill intervals or sprint/jog intervals. My favourite routine involves both, I will post below! Fast paced uphill walking is also great, it may sound easier (because you’re walking) but it’s not, trust me, it is the best for toning up your butt and thighs!

The interval sprinting is also amazing and you feel so good afterwards, you can burn anywhere up to 350 calories in 30 minutes, then on top of that, due to the fact that it is interval training it speeds up your metabolism, meaning you are burning more calories than usual for up to 48 hours after your workout, can you think of anything better? (Ps. you still have to go to gym the following days!)

Click to make larger and read :)

Another tip for burning more calories and making the most of a gym session is the order of events, doing strength training BEFORE your cardio actually makes you burn more calories during the cardio workout. I realise that doing strength before may make you more fatigued but you have to be aware of your personal bests in cardio and keep up with/better them. So if you can run at 12km/h for 20 minutes then you should try to maintain that pace even after your strength workout.

So here are some of the workouts I like to do, some of them are in miles, I just changed them to km/h to coordinate with the treadmill. Also every week I try to up the pace and do better than last time. I also don’t do these in any particular order, just at random to keep my body guessing.

This is my favourite one

Also try this one:

• Walking at 6.5 for 3 minutes on gradient 3 ( speed and gradient can be lower or higher depending on you, be sure to up it every week).
• Next three minutes up the gradient to 6
• Last three minutes up the gradient to 9
• Go back down to gradient three and repeat 2 or 3 times.

This is particularly for waking as it tones bum and thighs

So just to refresh, start with a 5-10 minute warm up, (I like skipping) then a strength workout. Try to concentrate on one body part, for example I do legs one day, abs + back the next and arms the third day, then repeat. I also change up what exercises I do for that body part (due to the boredom but I would recommend it for you too). Then finally do a 30-60 minute cardio session. I usually average about 40 minutes cardio. Changing it up also helps you get out of that rut and enjoy your workouts. You should plan for 1 to 2 hours in the gym.

Click here for some of the best treadmill workouts :)

Have an amazing day!!