A New Ballet Class (and How I'm Better at Starts than Follow Through)

I love beginnings, from opening a fresh jar of coffee to starting a new knitting project.  There is something very special about beginnings. They are full of potential.

Spring is really starting to ramp up and with labour weekend coming up its the traditional time of year to get out in the garden and get things started.

Last week I signed up for a new ballet initiation course at the Auckland Academy of Adult Ballet (AAAB).  I did a few beginners ballet classes on my lunch break back in 2014 (blogged here) at a different dance studio but the experience at this new studio is very different and I prefer it.

//From AAAB website

Before the first class we were sent an email with guidelines for what to wear (1. comfortable workout clothes like leggings and a t-shirt 2. socks or ballet slippers) and we were advised to wear hair in a bun.  This is to allow the teacher to keep check on our posture and positioning and help correct errors.

On the night we were met at the entrance by our teacher and as the others arrived we got to meet our fellow class participants.  The only thing we had in common was that we were all female as there was a variety of heights, shapes & sizes, ages, ethnicities, abilities, etc. 

We got given an induction pack that included a headband and a car sticker - nice touches I thought - and the head/owner introduced herself and talked over the contents of the pack including how to access all the instructional videos at home! I've since used these videos and it great for at home practise and remembering arm positions and what tendu means!

The first class was very basic, but I very quickly remembered from 2014 just how deceptively difficult it is.  Only in ballet can standing up straight be such a workout and then moving the arms overhead be such a core workout!

//From AAAB Instagram (not my class)

And we were given homework!  We have 2 different exercises that we have to do every day and I get the feeling that this will grow in time.

I left feeling great and slightly taller :D

//A terrible picture of me

It was the next day that I had found my 5 year plan that I had written in 2014 and I was so saddened to see that I had not made any progress on any of my health and fitness goals - although, I did make lots of progress but then I stopped and now I'm right back where I started.  The worst part of ballet class was seeing myself in the wall length mirror and I was actually surprised at how large I am - my internal vision of myself just doesn't match up with what I see.

My goals are still valid and achievable, but while I'm really good at starting, I'm less good about seeing it through.  I've looked through this blog at all the things I've started and I am embarrassed that I am no further forward.  I even considered starting a new blog because there's only so many couch-to-5k blog posts that could be seen as acceptable on one blog, but that would just further enforce the pattern.

So its time to start again - start everything again - and this time the focus is on sticking with it and seeing it through so that maybe next year, when my 5 year plan is up I will actually have achieved, or at least be pretty close to achieving, my goals.

Hello February!

January was an amazing month and 2018 has got off to a great start!  In April, Kane and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary (20 years!!!) and the traditional gift is china, so we booked ourselves a trip to China!  I'm so excited!  And flights to Scotland have also been booked for my nephew's wedding in September.  I'm so excited about this too!  Of course these good things all come with a price tag, so February will be about enjoying the summer season without spending any more money! #hermit #NoSpendFeb

2018 Goals

1) A Comfortable and Beautiful Home

Last Month:
I decluttered the bedroom, living room and kitchen.  So many clothes, bags, kitchen containers and other items got donated.  We sold the old kitchen table and chairs, so finally that is out of the house, and we have a few other items to list and sell.

// Sold! //

This Month:
I want to declutter the laundry and main bathroom and get two superfluous lounge chairs listed and sold.

2) Respect and Honour My Body

Last Month:
I lost 4kgs through counting calories.  I went flexible vegan, where I only buy vegan food, but I'm using up what I still have in the cupboards that might have eggs/honey/dairy in it.  Kane is staying vegetarian so he's mostly taking care of the non-vegan food ;)  I also subscribed to Headspace and I'm trying to meditate for 10 minutes a day.

// Vegan Waffles mmmm //

This Month:
I'm working on stretching and strengthening my legs and glutes so that I stop get injured running!  I was thinking about getting a massage, however instead of spending money I will foam roll and then have a relaxing epsom salt bath with a mud masque ... and a glass of wine *bliss*

Celebrate the Season

// Fresh corn //

• I love it when corn on the cob becomes super cheap and its so fresh!  
• It's good to get outdoors and go for a walk up a hill or take a picnic.  
• Our barbecue hasn't had much attention lately, but with a public holiday coming up we'll get more work done in the garden and then hopefully dine al fresco in the evening.
• I'm planning a special cocktail for Valentines Day

// February walk up One Tree Hill //

Happy February!

Running – Starting From Scratch

So it’s time to get my health back (and get rid of some of this 91kgs), and my friends must have been thinking about their fitness goals for next year too when the email about entries opening for the Auckland Half Marathon popped into our inboxes.  So we’ve all decided to go for it and tackle the 21.1km in October 2018!  Now I can’t run the length of myself right now, so the idea of doing a half marathon is a big stretch but I am optimistic that over the next 46 weeks I will be able to make it to the start line prepared, ready for the distance, and uninjured.

The Kit:

I got a nice new pair of Nike Pegasus to see me through the start of my new running regime.  Once I’m further down the track I’ll take a trip to a local running store to get my running analysed again to see if there is another shoe that will be better for the longer training runs.

I then went into the Warehouse and bought a whole bunch of cheap singlets and t-shirts.  I also got some cheap sports bras from K Mart, but these are super unsupportive (i.e. painful!) for running so I’m just squeezing into the trusty shockabsorber and hope they start fitting better in a few weeks!  I’ve already got some lululemon tights and a bunch of sports socks to complete the outfit.  And let’s not forget my Nike Apple Watch that I got for my birthday.

The First Run:

The couch to 5k programs generally have you running for 60 seconds and I just don’t think I can even do that so I found an entry level program that has you running 100 metres then walking 300 metres and repeating this 4 times to make a total of 1600 metres (just shy of a mile).  I was pleasantly surprised to find I could run for 40 seconds and feel pretty good.  I finished my run sweaty and feeling really pleased about it.  I then went to stretch out my legs which always feel incredibly tight.  I really don’t want to get injured so building up slowly and paying attention to stretching is very important to me.  I’m strangely looking forward to my next run.

How to Eat Cake Every Day and Lose Weight!

// Image taken by me on an evening walk this week

 

In November I read Rosemary Conley's Amazing Inch Loss Plan.  It states that you can lose 14lbs in a month on this plan and gives real world accounts of men and women of varying ages with varying amounts to lose who have all lost between 10 and 14 lbs in 4 weeks.

 

Back in the UK Rosemary Conley had a number of slimming club franchises and each followed a calorie controlled diet and after weigh-in there was a 45 minutes aerobics class.  Rosemary Conley's slimming empire went into receivership a few years ago, but the dieting principles remains.

 

The foundation of the diet is that you follow a calorie controlled diet and keep to under 5% fat with the exception of one high fat snack per day.  You're also expected to undertake 30 minutes of activity per day like walking and the book has daily body weight exercises that you should do for muscle toning.

 

In the first 2 weeks you stick with 1200 calories per day broken down like this:

 

200 cals - Dairy allowance

200 cals - Breakfast

50 cals - Morning snack

300 cals - Lunch

50 cals - Afternoon snack

400 cals - Dinner

 

Then in the following 2 weeks you go up to 1400 calories which gives you the following in addition to the above:

 

100 cals - low fat snack (less that 5%)

100 cals - high fat snack or alcohol

 

After the 4 weeks there are sex/age charts in the back of the book with the corresponding calorie intakes for continuing to lose weight at 1lb per week and for maintaining weight.

 

I chose this plan because heart health is important to me and this fits with the heart foundation guidelines.  It's calorie counting so it's easy to workout since most foods have those labels and especially easy using an app like MyFitnessPal.  I use the meal plans as inspiration rather than following then exactly so that way I can still make our favourites and try out some new things too.

 

For the first 2 weeks I stuck with the 1200 calories and tried out some of the suggested meals, but I don't eat yoghurt or have much soya milk so on some days my calories would fall closer to 1000 but on other days my meals would be slightly more or I'd have extra fruit and that would bring me to 1200.  One of the downsides of using MyFitnessPal is that calorie balance doesn't roll over to the next day so you need to keep a track of it yourself.

 

Over Christmas and New Year my calorie intake increased, exercise took a little break and my weight wobbled a little up and down but I wasn't depriving myself, and at no point did I feel like I was undoing my good work nor did I feel like giving up.  It was a positive experience where I could eat and drink what I wanted, enjoy it and then pick up the diet again the next day.

 

Last week Kane wanted to try making one of those boxed cake mixes.  The result was a beautiful strawberry cake with strawberry flavoured frosting - 400 calories per slice!  We just make sure that we get good filling meals that fit with the calorie allowance and I save all my snack calories for a delicious slice of cake in the evening.  So cake every evening AND I lost 5lbs!

 

Last night I had mushroom stroganoff with rice for dinner which came to 320 calories and I certainly felt full and satisfied with it.  I would not have felt that way if I'd had the 400 calorie cake slice for dinner - I would certainly have been hungry again soon after.  So whilst losing weight is definitely a numbers game, the type of food you spend your calories on influences how satisfied you feel and can either make you eat more or less.  

 

I have a lot more weight to lose and this journey is going to take a while so I'm glad to know that I can have celebratory treats and indulgences without stalling progress.

 

What is your favourite treat food or drink?  Do you have any hints or tips for weight loss?

2016 Goals

Happy New Year!

When I was little I remember my Mum and my older sisters thoroughly cleaning the house prior to the new years eve celebrations.  I have a very vivid memory of my sister Jacqueline, a petite 5 ft, standing on a stool to clean the tops of the kitchen wall cupboards and straining to reach the back of them :)  I think the New Year Clean is still a tradition in many households across Scotland and it's one I try to keep too, but this year I started to decorate my little office and, as hard as I tried to get it finished by new years eve, the project has continued into the new year.  I am truly amazed at the volume of stuff that has come out of this tiny room and is cluttering up my hallways and rooms.  I'm so glad that the final coat of paint has dried so I can put it back where it belongs (and I'm sure some of it belongs in the bin or the op shop).

When we moved in we planned to decorate the whole house, at some point, eventually, some day.  The trouble with loose goals like that is that they tend to drift from one year to the next.  However, I used to set myself too many goals and would feel disappointed when I couldn't achieve them all.  So I'm hoping to get the balance right this time by limiting to 4 main goals and I'm putting them here so that I have to be accountable!

***

Goal 1: Better activity/R&R balance.

I progressed from hermit couch potato to only being home 2 nights a week and I've learned that neither of these are good options for me.  It can be hard to turn down social invitations or let fun activity opportunities slide by, especially when other people manage it all so easily!  But it's not fun for anyone when I get burned out and I need to learn my own limits.  In an effort to find balance I'm limiting myself to only 3 extracurricular activities a week.  This doesn't include my morning runs or lunchtime yoga.  It does include choir, ice skating, Lions club, concerts, Saturday morning meet ups and market days, and any other social invitation that I receive.

That will free up time for indulgent baths, reading, stove top coffee, growing vegetables, colouring in, crafting and all that other good stuff.

I'll see how it goes for the next 3 months and then revise if necessary.

Goal 2: Decorating

I'm hoping to finish decorating the office this week and then my next decorating goal is the guest bedroom.  It's a bigger room than the office but it should (hopefully) be easier since I'm not removing wall paper or painting doors and trim.  I'm giving myself the whole year to complete this task but my sister Jacqueline is planning to visit this year and it would be nice to have painted for her visit.

Goal 3: Garden Maintenance

While I was working at decorating the office, Kane was out working at trying to find the garden under all the weeds and long grass!  It already looks so much better, but my goal for the year is to get the garden back to basics and maintain this for the year.  If things get planted that's a bonus, but the focus needs to be on forming a maintenance habit.  If I end 2016 with weed free garden beds, clear paths and mowed green grass then this will be a success.

Goal 4: Run a Half Marathon

I have a 5k, 2 x 10ks, and an 8k signed up for already but the real goal here is to maintain a consistent training regime and then train and run the Auckland Half Marathon on 30th October.

***



I can see that these goals rely on consistency and this is where having a narrow focus is better for me that trying to accomplish too many things.  I hope that these are within my capabilities now I've put them out there, it will be very embarrassing if at the end of the year I haven't progressed!

How's your year going so far? Have you set any goals or resolutions for 2016?