Ouch - 4km benchmark run

This morning's personal training session was... a 4km benchmark run. What does this mean? It means that once every six months or so, the boys at AJ Fitness record what time it takes their clients to run 4km. It is a way of measuring improvements in fitness.

I jogged and walked those 4kms in 29 minutes 30 seconds.  I jogged the first kilometre in 5 minutes, which I am pretty chuffed about. But the rest... well, let's just say I was puffing like a steam train just walking the up-hill bits let alone jogging the down hill bits.

Week 1 success

Week one of the eight week challenge is over. And I am pretty pleased.

1. I have completed three personal training sessions, which included a personal best for 500m rowing (2.01 minutes). 
2. I walked the dog 12 times (missed two sessions).
3. I completed one session of hill sprints.
4. I have been sugar free for 7 days
5. I completed my food diary each day.
6. I have eaten strictly paleo, with the exception of the hot chocolate debacle. 

And the results of this spartan discipline (sans the hot cocoa)?


1.6 kilos down!!!

• Tuesday 17 January I was 91.7 kilos (home scales)
• Tuesday 25 January I am 90.1 kilos (home scales

Now I am off to training where I should be weighed in too.

The scales at home and at training don't match up, but not too badly from what I can tell.  The first weigh in showed the home scales at 91.7; the PT scales at 91.9.

Hill sprints and a confession

Well today incorporates both sweet success and bitter failure.

I walked Dusty this morning for a good long striding walk and then... wait for it... I did 10 repetitions of hill sprints.  I am pretty chuffed with myself.

I am tired now - bone weary in fact after my first day back at work from time off, and getting our dinner ready (baked lemon and oregano chicken with roast pumpkin and steamed greens).  But the kitchen is cleared now, leftovers for lunches packed, and with a little time left over to write this post.

My failure?  Hot chocolate.  Now it is both very bad and not so bad. I made it on a teaspoon of bitter cocoa powder and a teaspoon of barley malt syrup (a natural fructose-free sweetener) with hot water and a brief pour of (this is the very bad bit)... cream.  I have had this four times during the week.

This is the only anti-paleo food I have eaten.  Is that an excuse? A plea for forgiveness?  Nope.  I did it. I acknolwedge it. I move on. Today ends the hot chocolates. 

What I need to do to achieve goal number one? Addendum

At my training session today I asked Will - a lovely trainer who works with Andy - for further advice on my first goal and how to get there.

He confirmed that my goal was achievable, to go from obese to overweight in eight weeks.  However, he knows I have to lose 12 kilos rather than 10, so he suggested a few other things as well.

To help me get there, Will said I should make sure I keep up walking the dog twice a day, and include a session (or two?) of hill sprints through the week.

So the tactics to achieve my goal are

1. A committed change to my diet
2. Keep a food diary
3. 3 x 45 minute high intensity personal training sessions a week 
4. A fourth high intensity group session by week 3(ish)
5. 1 or 2 hill sprint sessions a week
6. Daily dog walks (I walk Dusty twice a day)
   

More sensible people would say things like, "there are way too many new habits that I have to include in my regular routine", or "you've got to be kidding, no way can I include that much exercise into my already busy week", or perhaps what I said..."OMG, hill sprints?"

Will my lifestyle have to adjust? Yes.  But I already committed to that when I stopped ingesting sugar dairy and grains...

The bottom line is my goal - to maintain a healthy weight for life.  I don't want to be obese any longer. I want to reach my goal. And the first step is to watch what I put in my mouth. The second is to get more active.

So, I say, yes, I can do this.  With help.