Feeling Stylish

Inspired by the glorious Bangs and a Bun. She recently wrote a piece entitled Women, Fitness and the Myth which touches on how women usually only begin running to lose weight. So when they don’t lose weight they give up.

I agree with everything Bangs has to say in that piece. Women aren’t told about the other benefits to running and working out. It’s all about losing weight. I think the weight loss is a huge motivator but running can plateau you as you begin to lose fat and gain muscle. Women see their efforts as useless and go back to some fad diet.

If you run, mix up your routine, eat well and add in some strength training then you will lose fat. And it’s likely to be the sort that stays off.

It’ll be difficult at first, you’ll worry about what people think of you, it might take a while to find a comfortable speed and breathing can be dificult. You’ll ache, you’ll worry about getting injured and you’ll be all sweaty.

Then you’ll hit a point when you realise that those five flights of stairs you climbed in the multi-storey car park haven’t left you puffing, your jeans will fit better and people will comment on how good you look.

You’ll run again and you’ll realise how free you feel. How much fitter you are than all the people slowly plodding along as you whizz by them. Then you’ll ache but you’ll feel strong and you will get that runners high and it will be the best fucking feeling in the whole world.

With fitness comes power. You’ll feel like you can do anything. You’ll look great, feel great and will have so much more confidence. Everyone will be jealous. Even if you start by going for a walk, just do it. Getting out of the door is the hardest part.

Now, go for a run.

This post is scheduled to go out just as I arrive at the Personal Trainer. This is my 9th session and review day…

According to my scales I’ve lost 19lbs (approx 10kg) since starting this training. I know I will have lost weight on the PT scales because there’s not going to be a 20lb difference.

I’ve upped and downed so much over this past few weeks, going from super motivated to bored with the whole thing. But it’s worked, I have lost weight and I can now fit into a jeans size smaller than I could when I started.

I thought I was going to work really hard this week and boost my weight loss just a little further. I didn’t, I failed miserably. I went for one 2km run and did one Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred session. I ate crappily and put on 1lb.

This is the only time in these 9 weeks that I’ve put on some weight. Why does it have to be the day before the big, ultimate, mega weigh in. I’m so disappointed with myself.

Onwards and upwards, I shall report back. The most interesting thing will be my new body fat percentage and measurements. Neither of which I’ve been able to track myself during all this time.

My previous body fat percentage was 44% (oh good god). My ultimate goal is 20%. So I’m hoping it’ll be at least under 40% tonight.

Wish me luck!

I am by no means a runner, I am someone who jogs and complains about it. But I’ve been doing this a short while and there’s a lot I’ve learned. As a beginner runner I hope there’s something I can share with you. I enjoy running but I never realised just how much there was to take into consideration.

Shoes.

Get proper running shoes. If you can get a gait analysis done at a running shop (their shoes tend to be quite expensive though so if you are strapped for cash find out what they recommend then buy from somewhere such as Spartoo.)

I overpronate, which greatly affects how I run, where I might get injured and what shoes I need to buy to correct this. Runner’s World explain this here.

Because I’ve been finding myself with some calf and shin pain I’m thinking my current shoes aren’t really doing the job. I currently have the Asics shoes below. They are a great mid-distance running shoe that aren’t too highly priced.

They’re comfortable and nothing rubs but I’ve just got this feeling that they aren’t right for me. They’ve now also done a great deal of miles so it’s probably time for an upgrade.

Other things to think about

• You can’t always run through the pain, if anything hurts then you should take a look at how/where you are running.
• The impact on your joints is huge when you run. Bear this in mind if you have bad ankles, knees, hips or lower back.
• It’s easier on your joints if you run on grass or treadmill than if you run on road/pavement.
• Walking quickly at an incline burns as many calories as running.
• Stretch! It helps to prevent injury. Dynamic stretches before you run so you just warm your muscles.

I am not an expert. These are just things I’ve learnt from being a beginner runner. If you have any questions or are injured then please consult a physiotherapist, doctor, personal trainer or similar. If anyone would like to correct or further inform me on anything above then please do so!

I started the C25K last night. Running for 60secs then walking for 90secs and alternating about eight times. It was difficult but probably the same amount of work out as I get when I go running.

Because my iPhone app was telling me when to run I pushed myself. Usually on my runs I run a 16:50 minute mile. I did the calculations when I got home and I’d been doing a 14:14 minute mile! Wow that’s a big difference.

I don’t ache a whole lot today and could probably run again but people keep telling me the importance of rest days. Instead I’m going to do some core work. I heard about a challenge that is to do 100 sit ups and 100 squats. You do as many as you can and keep improving on it until you can do 100.

I went for a brisk 20 minute walk this morning too so that’s a good amount of exercise for a rest day.

Haven’t gone over my calories today although not far off. Having lamb curry for tea so iPhone app believes I’ll have overdone it on the sat fat. It’s probably right.

As for the shoe reward I’m dropping my rewards down to two quid per challenge. So after W1D1 I’m on two whole pounds! Win!

I also went to the doctors today and happened to get weighed. I’m a whopping 5lbs lighter than on my scales at home. that would put me 3lbs from my America target. Wish my scales were that forgiving. I do wish I had better scales. Mine often say ‘Error’ which might mean I’m too heavy. Rude scales.