OnTheRoad’s BodyBlog

Great lifting today….squats with 55lbs and incline bench presses….love doing those. My leg curls killed me and the assisted pull ups I found easier than weeks ago!! I am getting stronger.

I love not having the scales……My hips are no longer very wide!!lol but my pants are struggling to stay up.

30mins slow cardio after lifing and of course then had to walk and walk home from the shops…..man, I walk a lot in this city!!!

Tomorrow a longer cardio but not on the treadmill…my knees need a rest. Will get on the ultra boring cross trainer and plug in the ipod!! to maintain my sanity.

Ate too much today…but clean!! Will keep it under control tomorrow……..

Feel good with no scales….feeling up and staying up!! Ate clean today..at home with sick kids so had to go ot the gym tonight. Had a day off yesterday (part of my new plan) and kicked a$$ on the treadmill doing fast intervals. Also cut my cardio time, when I do intervals I am on for a total of 40min (that includes warm up and cool down). Feel good and fast….loved doing it!!! Panicking a bit….doing less cardio, more lifting and eating right….I should be ok but old doubts come in….I hope I don’t go backwards. I hope the people that say diet is 80% are right…..

Thats it!!!! Thats it!!! The scales have gone. Needless to say yesterday I got on them and gained 1/2 kilogram…I know it’s not possible…I burn more calories than I eat…So why do I look and believe them? I think it has been because here in Moscow I can’t get my body fat measured, have no old friends who are seeing me for the 1st time in a while and nothing really else to measure gains/loss with. Bugger that!! They send me on a wild downward slide if the numbers aren’t what I expect and really I don’t need the ups and downs….I didn’t need it yesterday because I rebelled and ate stupidly the whole day!!!!! My 1st bender!

Yesterday 50mins on interval treadmill…moderate, as still have some knee joint aches and pains….and as I’ve said, ate very badly….very, very badly.

Today woke up and took the battery from the scales and gave it to my husband to leave at work….we still need scales for weighing suitcases in our travels (we don’t travel light )

Went to gym for my lifting and had an awesome workout….came home and worked on a programme with less cardio and more lifting and me relaxing a little bit!! My trainer said I need to chill out….and I do!

Ate well today…didn’t dare not get back on the wagon …lol.

Didn’t feel like going to the gym tonight…could have stayed on the couch. Probably because we have done a lot of walking yesterday and today around the city and the kids were talkative and full of energy…

Anyway I went and still missed the lovely runners high on that boring piece of sh#t the cross trainer…yuk. Put up the resistance and the ramp and still didn’t feel like I was really, really working it….I am going to spinning classes when back in the land of the living..

60mins later….walked slowly home without a smile on my face…..but my legs felt good, no aches and pains

I know that I am getting old….aches and pains after working out, niggling sore knees and shins, and generally a small list of little pains/strains and aches. No they are not pulled or torn muscles - I have had plenty of them in the past but just my myraid of ‘ouches’.

Yesterday I woke with a twingey - I know that is not a word but that is what it was! hamstring, up high near my glutes. As I have been going heavy with cardio and intervals lately I diagnosed myself with overtraining, well cardio training. I know it’s true and I knew it would come and I knew I would have to make changes.

I have to make changes because I want to do this for life! and if I know myself well - one of the perks of getting older, an injury that prevents me from going to the gym and losing my momentum would just about do me in. So I reasoned that I will save my intervals for my basketball games and training, get on the low impact cross trainer more often and ramp up the resistance, walk only on the treadmill - yes I will have to go longer but that’s ok and generally save my knees, shins and hammy for the lifting!

I feel better about all this as I have my eating under control and a little less cardio won’t hurt my progress. In 2 weeks time I will start lifting 4 days a week and can do my low impact cardio after the lifting…that actually will save me time!

Of course yesterday I had a day off and accessed the damage - I think just a little pull, not sore at all and can walk with no problem. It twinges a little when I am sitting on the couch!

Today no twinges at all so off to the gym and did 50mins on the cross trainer - level 8 - 10…felt good although I missed the running high I normally get

Eating clean only 90% of the time the last couple of days, a little chocolate…but stayed within my range and ratios good….

Counting down the days until back in Australia…………10 days to go…………

I am impressing myself lately with my absolute determination to go to gym everyday…except Sat…and work my a$$ off whilst I am there. I figure it’s an hour let’s make it count!! I am still the only sweaty one….how do these people not sweat…well I know…they aren’t going hard enough…but still…it makes you stand out!!!!lol.

60mins tonight on treadmill…interval runs 30mins and 30min fast walking….will take the cardio very easy tomorrow and do gentle post lifting walk…nice. My flexibility has improved greatly due to my stretching after every session at the gym…couldn’t touch my toes 6 months ago now I have my fingers on the floor and my head almost on my knees….!!!!!!

Ate well but not every 3 hours..had busy, busy day in city and then straight out to school for my daughters concert…so good. The kids had Maccas after in the car…poor things only have it rarely here…McDonalds restaurants are scarce…good for them though! I had one small bite of my daughter Big Mac….boy it was good! You know I learnt one thing

"The 1st bite is the best" Sometimes you don’t need/want more because that is as good as it’s going to get!!

Yesterday…still no appetite…forced food down my throat and went to my personal trainer for an hour. I am squatting 5kgs more and my assisted dips are fantastic. I am still gaining muscle!! and am feeling very strong, my trainer has a nod for me when I have finished (that means ‘fantastic’ lol…now if only I could enjoy my food. Ate clean but again not enough calories…my husband made me some eggs for dinner but I just couldn’t eat them!! What’s wrong with me? I have never, ever lost my appetite even if I had a stomach bug in Delhi!!!!!!!! Did no cardio after lifting as I had an appointment…so I walked to appointment and as usual all around this city….it is no wonder Moscow girls are very skinny!

Today..Went off in search of my appetite…thought that I would go to the most English/American supermarket here and see if there was anything I wanted. Well YES an almond croissant….YUM, YUM, YUM….OMG I was almost running home to make a cup of coffee and have them together…it didn’t let me down!!! lol. I don’t feel bad, in fact I feel great, ate clean for the rest of the day and have a zip in my step. The walk to and from the shops (nice one) is 1 hour so you had better want it!! About to go to the gym for a cardio session for 1 hour…may do a fast walk or get on the cross trainer (not that I like it)….Will be over in my calories..so I should…can’t have too many ‘under’ days.

If anyone see it can they message me? It’s hard enough eating clean, no sugar etc etc and I have been eating every 2 to 3 hours and my ratios are fab!! but I am getting to the end of the night..finished my chicken and salad and now I am slightly hungry and can’t think of what to eat that doesn’t involve carbs! I can’t have another shake as I have been using lots of natural forms of protein and the ratio is at 46%…so no carbs and no protein….????? If someone suggests cottage cheese i will scream!h

I know the answer is to eat more earlier and have the chicken etc as the last meal but I have no desire to eat more and more…really I am pretty stuffed. Maybe a bigger breakfast?

Anyway enough about my trivial problems….did great intervals today 5 mins slow, 5 mins light jog, 30mins-2mins fast, 1min very fast, and then 10min light jog and 5 mins cool down…and of course a big stretch.

Went a lot faster than I normally do and was knackered at the end….fanstastic, could hardly make it up the stairs…lol.

Ate cleannnnnnnn but not enough….will make big effort to eat more earlier!

Lifting tomorrow with my newly reformed fantastic trainer…..he better push me…lol…he will!!!!

Today was a rest day and I made a huge effort to eat very, very clean and no wine/beer. On Friday night I had a gin and tonic and 1 wine and yesterday of course was the beer!! So back on track today with no sugars and limited carbs and heaps of fruits and vegetables.

Have had a bit of pain in my achilles heal yesterday and today so am going to change my cardio to non impact cross trainer and taking some spin classes (OMG in Russian..lol). I also put my old heal gel inserts in my shoes and will make sure I am not going too hard. It frightens me to think I could get injured. It would feel so bad to not be able to keep going esp when you are in the middle of progress. Got to look after this body….getting old!!!

My wonderful husband helped enormously today….1st made protein pancakes this morning (the kids love them as well) and then spending time tweaking my ‘take to Australia 4 day spilt’. Loving the workout and can’t wait to get started. Will be nice to start lifting more and doing less cardio, although I will still need to run for sanity!

Making plans in order to keep it all up with family and friends around and will make a list of my do’s and don’ts and put it up in the hotel and apartment. I have come too far to let this all go and it is ‘for life’ so I have to work in the 1 hour a day everyday!!!

A bit hungry tonight….but just about bed time and I have stayed in my calorie range and my ratio look great. Will save it all up for a massive breakfast tomorrow….YUM

Should have kept today for a day off…..should have! but I needed to start going to the gym even when I am pushed for time. I am worried that when I go back to Australia for my holiday I am going to get too pushed for time with family and friends. So today I guess I was proving a point to myself. Am delightfully a little sore from my mega sets yesterday!

So got up and went to gym this morning and just did a fast walk for 40mins. Didn’t push myself 100% which is not like me but really felt pushed for time and a little sore.

Went to an English speaking housing compound for a family party with the kids. Kept my food under control but drunk too much beer…and had to add it in to fitday….still within my calorie range but of course their are some nutrients missing!!!! Unless beer is a complex carb??

Probably will have a rest day tomorrow…and bust my A on Monday……..