Exercise Regime Fit for a Bride
This time in four months I'll be walking down the isle to finally marry my partner of 10 years, Chad.
As you can imagine, like any bride, I've been hitting the gym harder than I normally would to get the Pippa Middleton behind that has become so famous. My fabric choice is very similar to what Pippa wore, so it will show any imperfection!
So this blog is dedicated to my health and fitness regime of the last two months, of which I'm finally starting to see some results.
First I invested in some exciting and comfortable new gym gear - runners, pants, tops, underwear and a visor (I love visors and have a bit of a collection now. You can get some really fashionable ones, and you can wear your hair up high which is a must for me as my hair gets longer).
Next - gym membership. I have a gym in my complex, but five machines and a few weights is not the inspiration I need to be at where I want to be. So I investigated a few in my area (going at peak times to ensure it's not too crowded - I hate having to wait for a machine, and who has time these days!). And I settled on Anytime Fitness, about a ten-minute walk and on top of my local shopping centre, so I can hit two birds with one stone.
Lastly - making an exercise plan.
I love my classes. To keep my workout varied, I signed up to two classes a week, one yoga on a Saturday morning (I love this class. My partner comes to the gym with me and we've made it a tradition to go out to breakfast together after. So no matter how busy we are on the weekends, our Saturday morning workout and breakfast is sacred and is never cancelled - not even when our parents are in town visiting) and Thursday night Piloboxing, a non-stop, cardio fusion of standing pilates, boxing and dance. This class is amazing and a great workout.
Other than that, I go another two to three times a week to do my own workouts. These always start with weights. This exhausts your muscles so that when you get around to cardio, you're getting to the fat burn stage easily. And it also increases your energy levels (sounds odd I know. I find I can run longer and harder after completing my weights first).
My weights regime includes kettlebells, free weights, weights machines and floor work with a mat. My cardio always starts with ten minutes of the step machine to warm up, 3.5 - 6km of running and sometimes the cross trainer if I have the energy.
I generally spend between 1h and 1.5hrs per session. This might sound like a lot but it is your health. And if you don't have your health, you don't have anything. Five hours a week in the scheme of things is nothing, and it's a flow on affect to the rest of your life helping self esteem, productiveness and positivity to name but a few.
Health
I am a massive chocoholic and simply can't (and won't) eliminate this from my diet. So instead I've cut down to having chocolate every two days and this rule applies to my fiancé too. He has surprisingly jumped on board with these changes (even giving up coffee, but I won't go that far...).
Having not included protein shakes in my diet in the past, I decided to educate myself and see what all the fuss was about. I can tell you, it's well worth the investment! Not only does it help build muscle, but it helps with recovery time. I am always very sore the next day after a good workout and I have noticed the difference when I have a protein shake as soon as I finish working out.
So I'm on my way. My diet still needs tweaking (love my sugar and coffee too much) but I'm on the road and enjoying the journey.
Stay tuned for my results as the months go by!
Changes that I've already noticed
- toned behind (my behind rivals that of the Kardashians... in bigness that is, not quite as toned yet)
- arms: biceps have improved a lot, still working on those damn bingo wings
- back muscles: never really had them but now they are showing
- stomach: increased my muscles but still a bit away from that six pack I used to have
- strength: every few weeks I increase the weights that I use. I definitely feel stronger
- weight loss: only a few kilos but this is to be expected because muscle weighs more than fat
Websites I use for inspiration and to help keep me on track:
www.myfitnesspal.com
www.runkeeper.com
www.girlsgonestrong.com
