I know many of you want to see all the latest Photos – and I’ll be posting these next week when the totally awesome photographer Laura Cioccia gets me the finished photos next week
Exercise Log
Picked up my new running shoes from Active Feet in Prahran and gave then a bit of a test with a 5km Walk/Jog/Run and I’m very impressed and happy that they will be perfect for the upcoming 14.3km Run For The Kids event.
Most Saturday’s in this Challenge have been my Indulgence Day, where I’m able to Indulge in whatever food choices I want, except on Day 83 which, because of the Lean Up Week, was another day of clean eating – and it isn’t hard to keep being good anyway this close to the end!
What I find so encouraging having travelled this journey is picking up some skills along the way that I will now continue practising:
The ability to lose weight on my own. This might seem fairly insignificant, but it is actually the most important thing I have learned. It is the ability to understand what I need to do to lose weight, and the ability not to need any special tricks or “programmes” to do it – I’ve done it before, I can do it again. As a fat guy three months ago, my mindset was such that it just was the way it was – I didn’t have the skill of Self-Mastery that I have now.
The lessons about maintaining my body (in particular my knees & feet) – Having spent several sessions at a Physiotherapist, as well as asking so many questions from so many fit and active people that I have come to admire recently, I have been able to take away some tricks & techniques that apply to my own body that allow me to now maintain an injury free existence.
New Mental Clarity & Focus – Having to write a blog article each day, and publishing something online, has completely overcome my previous fears & inhibitions with communicating in this way. I have tried all sorts of writing styles and devices, not with any tuition or professional guidance and I have a long way to go – but the concept of Writer’s block no longer applies to me.
An appreciation for Energy Output and the Finer Things – I’m so thankful to have learnt that when you get serious about something you really can start to see & taste the difference; take a professional Wine-Taster as an example who can distinguish things that many of us have no clue about – the same goes for Fitness & Nutrition and the more you learn about the more you realise that some things that might seem the same just aren’t. It is rather hard to explain (a bit like the Lean Up Week)!
My next post will be the last for this Challenge, so look forward to it tomorrow! And until then, stay ON it!
Exercise Log
My boxing style, especially on my left-hook was spectacular today – if I do say so myself. After weeks of careful tuition from Snow at Fitness Kick, I finally felt the kinetic chain of energy as it leaves my left foot and travels up the side of my body and across my shoulder to connect with what feels like a perfect left-hook. Awesome.
My strength and stamina – including my ability now to endure and perform hard throughout the equivalent of an Amatuer Boxing tournament (three rounds of three minutes, with a minute rest in between) is absolutely stunning.
What did I eat on Day 83?
Breakfast – Slice of Wholegrain Toast w/ABC Spread
In line with what I wrote about on Day 49 I’m getting ready to relish the feelings of success that will come with crossing the 84 Day mark in this amazing journey. I’m looking forward to reflecting on this experience and reviewing the new skills that have been learned along the way.
Fitness Kick, the gym that has made this all possible for me is Celebrating their 7th Birthday in a week or so, and I’ll be celebrating with my trainers and sharing stories of success and triumph!
I’ll also be putting together a YouTube video and updating the results on this site for all to see
If you have been participating in the Challenge, and you’re still ON it, I applaud your success also and would love to talk to you about how you went.
Exercise Log
As my right-ankle was still a bit stiff, I had no choice but to take it easy, so my very best intentions of getting the most out of this last “Lean Up Week” has been somewhat diminished It doesn’t take away the amazing results that I have achieved overall though!
What did I eat on Day 82?
Breakfast – Rolled Oats w/Vanilla Protein Shake
Snack – Almonds
Lunch – Left-over Chicken Meatballs w/Green Salad
Snack – Protein Shake
Dinner – Left-over Chicken Meatballs cooked in Tomato Sauce
No Spray Tan (This Time) In some sort of delusional way, before starting this Challenge, I imagined that I might have been able to get all bronzed up and waxed at the end, but the reality is that having started at a weight of 125.3 Kg it hasn’t been possible to lose the amount of [...]
Stretching, stretching, stretching! Okay, so it has only taken me 80 days to learn this lesson… Stretching is important. Living an active lifestyle requires a higher level of maintenance than I had previously considered, or even fully appreciated… Running – be it on Treadmill or Road – takes a toll on the human body; knees, [...]
Feeling Depleted On Day 79, just two days into a low-carb eating plan with twice the amount of Exercise, and I certainly felt drained of energy. However, strangely it was more or less my own perception, because when I was in the Gym, I managed to burn 1,023 Calories and Matt confirmed that my output [...]
Lean Up Week Okay, so the start of Week 12 – the last week of the Challenge and it gets really interesting here! It’s called “Lean Up Week” and the eating plan and schedule changes with a view to getting a “hard” body at the end of the Challenge - preferably timed to perfection so that [...]
Playing Catch Up If you’ve been following this blog regularly you might have been wondering why I’ve been quiet for the last few days – especially since I’m now writing about Day 77 while it is now actually Day 83! Unfortunately I find myself Playing Catch Up! And I only have myself to blame. It’s [...]
Last Indulgence Day Day Seventy-Six! I can’t believe it has gone by so quickly – and it was my last Indulgence Day on the Challenge. It was my last Indulgence day, because as I head into the last week it is the “Lean Up” week which is a pretty technical diet that I will explain [...]
The Good Oil Somewhere along the way, presumably in the 1980′s and beyond, the concept of low-fat dieting took hold and the residual effects of this can still be seen in the recommendations dished out today by some nutritionists. Sadly, some people still believe that cutting out as much fat in their diet as possible [...]
It doesn’t take away the amazing results that I have achieved overall though!