Uni Week 4

I haven't been blogging much lately but my training is going really well! My muscles feel rock hard & I've really been enjoying my exercise science unit. During the course of the last three weeks we've done long distance running & drills in the running practicals plus body weight exercises & free weights in the weights room. I've now learnt how to perform a deadlift & I can now successfully complete 4 unassisted chin ups. Our trainer has also been instructing us how to train & spot for others in the gym environment--- I'm certain that it will be helpful in the future.

I have had a bit of trouble fitting in training sessions but I've decided to start going to the gym after my practicals so that will let me get 4 L&S sessions in per week. My nutrition has been pretty decent & I've been maintaining my weight--- I have allowed a few less healthy foods but nothing excessive. I need to do a bit more pre-planning when it comes to taking food to uni, often I forget to pack lunch in the morning & end up buying either sushi or a sandwich (both low in calories but not as nutritious as something home made). I've discovered some more healthy snacks so that I'm not constantly drinking protein shakes while I'm at home.

My weak point this semester is my organisation when it comes to study. This is probably just because of the huge summer break between semesters--- I'll really need to put in some effort to get back into the swing of things. I've skipped a few lectures already so I need to sit down & watch them all to catch up... It's week 4 already so I need to get on top of things.

Back to Lean & Strong

Despite deciding to change to lean & fit two weeks ago I find myself thinking that it's necessary for me to swap back to lean & strong. The last two weeks have been incredibly challenging for me & I've found myself skipping sessions. I've taken a good hard look at myself & have realised that the reason for this is that I just don't enjoy my cardio workouts---- they do absolutely nothing for me. I don't mind doing an interval training dvd but the act of just running on a treadmill or cross trainer really doesn't appeal to me.

I know it sounds like I'm reneging on the promise I made to myself but I think its more accurate to say that I've re-evaluated my goals. While I would like to be able to run a decent distance I'm not really interested in developing a runner's physique nor do I really enjoy the act of running. On the other hand I adore my weight training & its given me the kind of tone I've always aspired towards.

I told myself back when I started 12wbt that I would run the city-to-surf & I still intend to do so but I believe that I will be able to do it while completing mainly weight training. I will try to fit in extra cardio in my workouts & will replace any SSS with a run; I'm relatively fit so this should be sufficient to complete the race.

My new goals will be based on lifting weights & reps rather than running distance. Off the top of my head I'm hoping to up my bench-press & barbell squat weight as well as increase the amount of chin ups I can perform. Eventually I would like to be using the highest weights in the lean & strong program.

Measurements

So I just calculated my total centimetre losses over two rounds of 12wbt so I could see how far I've come; These are the results:

Chest: 87cm (start) down to 84cm (week 24)

Waist: 68cm (start) down to 62cm (week 24)

Hips: 96cm (start) down to 88cm (week 24)

Left Thigh: 58cm (start) down to 51cm (week 24)

Right Thigh: 57cm (start) down to 51cm (week 24)

(Arms both remained the same)

In total I've lost 30cm! An entire ruler off my body :) I've got to say that I'm happy with that. I haven't taken my measurements yet this round (mainly because I've misplaced the tape measure) but I think they'll be roughly the same as they were 4 weeks ago.

First Week Back

To be honest my first week back at uni was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me. I made poor food choices, skipped a workout and found myself welling in complete & utter despair. It's only now, after spending three days with my loving partner & visiting a counsellor that I feel like coming back out, facing the world again & giving this semester a damn good go. For some reason I felt like life was no longer worth the effort & that things would be easier if I didn't try. Let's face it--- I know this isn't true. I've been happier up till this point than I ever have been before while following this program & I'm not going to go back. I am most certainly worth the effort.

I've written an hour-by-hour timetable to dictate to myself what I should be doing every day of the week and I have also finally printed out all the new recipes for this 12wbt round. By creating a timetable each week & sticking to it I should be able to manage my workload & thus my stress. I've also started taking herbal medicine for my insomnia, which has been bothering me for the past few months. I seem to have slept better in the last couple of days & my depression is starting to lift slightly so sleep deprivation was probably the cause to some extent. The family issues that have been troubling me are unlikely to be solved but at least now I am receiving outside support; I have another appointment for the counsellor this week.