Our resident gym bunny-guinea pig is back with an update on how her Gym Virgin challenge is going. Ten weeks in and the pounds are falling away. But is a little bit of her motivation going the same way? Simone gives us the skinny on her back-to-gym journey.
Hello girls! It’s been a while but I’m back to give you the latest instalment on my journey to fitness. I’m ten weeks in now with six weeks to go of the challenge. You may remember from my last article that I’d fallen off the wagon, and was struggling to climb back up. That week-long slip actually turned into two weeks before I felt settled enough in my new home to shake off the cake crumbs and head on back to Go Gym.
I felt very apprehensive going back. Having a personal trainer (Owen Mulrane of Inside-Out Fitness and Go Gym) is kind of the equivalent of having a parent - the worst thing that can happen is. God forbid, they’re disappointed in you. I felt a bit like that, but therein lies the beauty of having a trainer, the guilt will make you go back and the need to make them proud of you, makes you push yourself on. It’s a bizarre kind of relationship when you think about it but one that for me, has been the reason that finally I’ve managed to crack this fitness lark.
But I digress. I went back in feeling bloating, lethargic and feeling sorry for myself, convinced I’d undone all the good work. Owen as usual was his straight talking, kind self, and told me to cut the guilt, just draw a line under it and move on. So I did. I’m back training three to four times a week now and my energy is back with a bang. And my regular sleep pattern has also returned.
I can feel the intensity increasing in my workouts but I know Owen wouldn’t push me if he didn’t think I was able to handle it. I’m also confident enough now to work out on my own when needs be, but I’ll do prefer having Owen there as I know I work harder, and to honest it’s more fun (I use that word advisedly as he’ll likely kick my ass next week), but it’s true that the time goes by faster when you’re not alone.
With only six weeks to go to my final reveal, we decided that it was time to step it up a gear. And with that in mind I’ve started a two week challenge of no carbs/sugar at all. That means no fruit, no alcohol, no bread/pasta/rice/quinoa/root veg etc.
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But rather than dwell on the negative, the positive is that I can eat eggs, meat, fish, as much green veggies as I like, a Quest protein bar as a treat, cheese, natural fats etc. So it’s really not too bad at all and it’s only to give my body a quick boost. I’m wary about ever cutting out any food group entirely but I’ve no issue with it on a short term basis. And after these two weeks we’ll reintroduce 50g of healthy carbs per day.
Goodbye, dear friendI haven’t had a chance to take my measurements recently however I can reveal that to date I’m 24lbs down.
And I’m feeling great. My new obsession is getting toned shoulders to look good in sleeveless/backless clothes. I never thought I’d be interested in my shoulders of all places! But once you see that first bit of toning appear, you’re hooked and want more. And in the scheme of things, it’s really not a bad thing to be hooked on!
I hope that those of you who have embarked on your own personal fitness journeys are still going strong, I’d love to hear how you’re getting on in the comments. And if like me you have fallen down, don’t let it stop you.
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Remember ‘What defines us is how well we rise after falling’. Until next time! xxx
