End of March measurements

Here is how I did from the start of March to the End.

Start of March End of March LOSS/GAIN

Chest: 92 ( 36.2 inch) 91 ( 35.8 ) 1

Waist: 74 ( 29.1 ) 72.5 ( 28.5 ) 1.5

Neck: 32 ( 12.6 ) 31.5 ( 12.4 ) .5

Upper Arm L: 31.5 ( 12.4 ) 31 ( 12.20 ) .5

Upper Arm R: 31.5 31 .5

Thigh L: 58 ( 22.8 ) 57 ( 22.4 ) 1

Thigh R: 58 57 1

Calves L: 39.5 ( 15.6 ) 40 . 5 gain

Calves R: 39.5 40

Total of 7cm loss for the month of March

BMI = 23.07

March is the month I started weight training and Kettlebell...

Tuesday * Active Day *

I've added a photo of the book called The 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno

As this is the plan a few friends and I are going to be doing in April for 17 ~Days~

Its being designed by a Dr who has been on the Dr Oz, Dr Phil and The Doctors TV shows.

The way the book was promoted really got me excited as its Clean Eating which I totally love and believe in.

I've learned that when you fuel your body with the correct foods you don't have cravings for sugar, carbs or the bad stuff.

Its the way I want to eat....Its the way I chose to eat.

Yesterday I did a upper body kettlebell workout in the morning

The afternoon I ran a Trail run in the forest for 10 km's ...( 6.2 miles )

THEN...taught a class in the evening.

Was a very active day...even got to lie in the sun for one hour!!

Burned a whopping 1 500 calories yesterday which found me down 300 grams from yesterday'S weigh in...

I might just make the 2 kg's ( 4.4lbs ) I wanted to lose for March

200 grams to go!!!!!!!!!

Review of the Month of March

March was the month I put all my effort into my healthy living plan ~ Jan I was still on holiday and Feb was the warm up preparation for March.

I had not weighed in since October when I began the Clean Eating program on a more serious level and then went on holiday to South Africa for 9 weeks....

When I began the March challenge with my online group, that was the first time I'd climbed on the scale in months.....and was very happy to see I had managed to maintain my weight with a little gain...nothing drastic like I would have had in the past, as I watched what I ate, my portion sizes and I kept running daily.....its a lifestyle for me now, no longer a diet.

The end of Feb I weighed in at 64.7 kg's ( 142.6 lbs )

Today, 4 weeks since I began the challenge I now weigh 63.2 kg's ( 139.3 lbs )

Thats a loss of 1.5 kg's ( 3,3 lbs )

This means I'm now 1.2 kg's ( 2.6lbs ) away from my personal goal weight...I have been at this weight before, and with summer coming up, this is the weight I want to be again as I feel the most comfortable there.

In 8 days time I will begin The 17 Days Diet with a few other members of my online group....am sure to lose the weight and reach my goal for summer with this plan.

I will do a daily blog on my journey while on this plan as I have had lots of requests from readers asking me to write more about this plan...and also to document how I do on the plan.

I start the plan on the 6th April....as I mentioned in yesterdays entry, I'm busy preparing myself for this plan so when I begin its going to be a lot easier to do. I do think anyone who still eats lots of carb and fruit will struggle to do this plan....but as I have been preparing for the plan by cutting out on bread, pasta, rice, banana's and sugar, its going to be a little easier, but far from easy as I still love my muesli for breakfast, a block of dark chocolate, crackerbread, weekend bread roll....I keep telling myself that its ONLY for 17 days....if I could stick to healthy eating for over two and a half years I can do 17 days.

Knowing I have my readers support and interest in this plan will make me stick to it as I hate disappointing others...

With March behind me and with a loss....I look forward to April..

Review of my week

Yesterday I wrote that I was feeling tired.....I was tired from lack of sleep...not from training.

I have been training at a moderate level lately....not entering a marathon or training for a fitness competition, so training has been at a pace I love, a pace I feel comfortable doing...

But sleep...that has not been good to me lately.

I go through these patches where I sleep well and then times where I wake around 3am and struggle to fall asleep again, then I do only to wake up at 6am when hubby goes to work. It seems these interrupted sleeps is what gets me feeling tired, especially after a few nights of not sleeping through.

Last night I had a GREAT sleep....so woke up today feeling refreshed and ready for my run...

As our clocks went forward by one hour we ran at 9am, which is now our 10am.

It's a lot colder at 9am still ( well now 10am )

Today we took the route up to the castle instead of the forest route as I need a break from all the hills...this route has hills but a lot more flats.

The only problem we had was that one of the girls ( the youngest ) suffers from asthma this time of the year....and as I'm the *coach* during these runs I feel its up to me to stay back with her and monitor her during the run, encourage her to walk when her heart rate is too high and then to slowly pick it up when it drops and on flats....

This means I slow my own workout down, but am okay with that...its called TEAM work.

I ran 10.13km

1.18 mins ( due to some walking in between )

Burned 894 calories

18% fat

123 - 145 HR

Average pace 7.49

Average speed 7.7

Max speed 12.5

Review on my weeks training

Burned 5131 calories

11 Workouts

Taught 2 aerobic classes

Did 5 Kettlebell workouts

4 Runs = 33 km ( 20 miles )

I'm really enjoying my training and LOVING the kettlebell workouts.

I think they one of the greatest workouts I've done and as a qualified professional trainer who is able to teach many different methods, this one gels with me...

My eating plan is still CLEAN..

Have dropped nearly all carbs off my list as I get myself ready to do The 17 Day Diet with my online group from next month.

If I slowly start limiting carbs that one is not allowed to eat for the first 17 days of this eating plan I will not find it too tough...

To just give up carbs is really hard..

So slowly am adding things like, on waking drinking a glass of warm water with half freshly squeezed lemon.

No fruit after 2pm

Drinking 3 cups of Green Tea a day...

The hardest is going when I have to give up my muesli and replace with eggs for breakfast...for those 17 days...

Thankfully yogurt is allowed...

I'm satisfied with my week...

Tomorrow is my official weigh in day..

I stayed off the scale both Saturday and Sunday....

Tired!!

I've been feeling a little on the tired side both Friday and Saturday.

I did manage to do two upper body workouts on both days...something I feel I can do the days I don't have too much energy to run...and also its not good to run every single day....the body needs a day of rest in between...WELL, this aging body does anyway!!! :)

The weather is back to being COLD ...today I had to wear my winter coat while out as I was shivering...and again, this is not the kind of weather I like running in....so today..

NO running was done!!

Tomorrow is the run with the ladies from the neighborhood.

Not too sure whats going to happen as our clocks go forward by one hour at midnight..

So if we usually run at 10am...will we be running at 11am??? ( YES )

If the weather is this miserable tomorrow I will struggle to get myself going, but know with having the others it will motivate me to get up and get going...

My aim is to do 30 km of running this week ...

Currently done 23 km, so thats 7 km for tomorrow...very do able.

I just have to get my butt out there...if it rains...I'll hit the treadmill!!

Autoimmune Disease: How to Stop Your Body From Attacking Its

This is for the few of us who suffer from MS...

Training going well

Had another good day yesterday training wise...

Eating was okay...

For some reason I wanted to eat muesli and yogurt every time I felt like a snack..

So...

Hoping today I won't be craving that....:)

Yesterday morning I did an upper body kettlebell workout for 30 mins.

Am working on toning my arms and shoulders are really flabby looking and with summer I want to wear tops without worrying too much about what they look like.

The afternoon the weather was so good I had to get out...

Even for a walk...but out I had to go.

I ended up walking up two very steep hills and running the rest of the way.

Finished 6km

Burned 506 calories

15% fat

125 - 141 HR

The evening I went next door to teach the ladies from the neighborhood a class.

The last class...or so I thought.

One hour of Dance Aerobics

Burned 415 calories

34% fat

101 - 128 HR

As I was leaving last night I was told that the girls want to know...

WHAT HAPPENS NOW??

They want to continue the training with me...

So now we thinking of a plan.

I will teach the girls on a Thursday night and 2 of them on a Tuesday morning.

Keeps me busy and also keeps me active...

Am going to make a Green Shake now then do an hours of Kettlebell....

I am tempted to do a short run this afternoon as the weather is so good, I want to make the most of it...Will see how I feel later on as I also have to do the basket of ironing thats calling my name.

Yo Yo effect

I'm very happy to mention today that the ONE kilo ( 2.2lbs ) I gained last week, I've managed to lose...This morning was a good weigh in for me.

Looking back since starting my new food journal I have noticed that my downfalls are the weekends.

Its the only time that I eat bread rolls...and drink RED wine...

3 Bread Rolls and two glasses of wine...

Could this be the reason for my gain ( I hope not as thats just living )

Yesterday I did upper body workout with my Kettlebell...

The afternoon I did a 9 km run ( 5.5 miles )

Last night I taught a Dance Aerobics Class...

RUN - 9KM - 1 HOUR

826 calories

12% fat

133 - 147 HR

DANCE AEROBICS - 1 HOUR

457 calories

30% fat

102 - 127 HR

The Result of hard work.

So after the great week I had last week...the huge amount of calories I burned while staying within my calories allowed per day and having run 36 km ( 22.36 miles ) and doing lots of Kettlebell workouts....I GAINED ONE KILO ( 2.2lbs )

And you know what...its only a number...

By doing everything right I am going to take it and run with it as who knows what will happen later this week with my weight...

I am maintaining....since New Year my weight has remained the same for a few 100 grams here and there...

I'm happy, at least I'm no longer overweight....still the thinnest I've been in over 15 years...thats satisfying in itself.

So why am I sharing this if its okay you ask!

I'm sharing so that you can see our bodies are unique and no matter how much you do or the effort you put in, you don't always get the results you are looking for, and that its not the end of the world...you just keep going cause after all, this is not a diet, this is a lifestyle...

Very happy to add that today the postman delivered my book

The 17 Day Diet Book.

I'm going to take my time reading it and if I want to attempt one cycle I will do it when hubby is away on a business trip as that way its going to be so much easier to attempt...

Weeks results

Its been a few days since I last update this and my Private blog...

For a change I've been busy and its always the reason if I'm not blogging...

Today I want to make note of my weeks training and results...

Monday is my official weigh in day so will see if the good week I've had pays off on the scale.

Did a Total of 10 workouts in 7 days...NO rest day again this week...

Ran 36 km - ( 22 miles ) _ the most I've done this year in one week and 6 km ( 3.7 miles ) more than I ran last week.

I burned a total of 5892 calories but did eat many extra calories on Saturday evening at a 40th birthday party!!

Monday ~ KB and ran 5km (3.1 miles )

Tuesday ~ KB and taught class

Wednesday ~ Ran 9.1 km ( 5.6 miles ) and taught class

Thursday ~ KB

Friday ~ KB

Saturday ~ Ran 8.25 km ( 5.1 miles )

Sunday ~ Ran 14 km ( 8.6 miles )

I have been weighing myself every morning and my weight has been up and down a few 100grams here and there....

Very frustrating as been training daily and also keeping within my calories of 1 600 per day, besides on Saturday night I went way over...

Otherwise I can feel Spring is on its way.

Yesterday I ran with a short top on and today while running with the group of ladies in the forest I took off my long sleeve top and ran in my sports bra, they all of course thought I was CRAZY and told me I will be sick tomorrow or the next day.

I cant enjoy my runs when the sweat is pouring down my face into my eyes and making them burn, if I take my long top off this doesn't happen, I might as well go run on the treadmill in the gym if I want to sweat like that during the cooler months.

Anyway...call me crazy, call it menopause, blame it on the MS...I have no idea, but the long top last no longer than 10 mins on my body these days.