Making A Change: Growing To Love The Gym

I'm back with a third update on my 'I'm going to be healthy' journey.  It's not a particularly inspirational one mind, as I am still over the weight I was when I started!  When I started way back in December, I weighed twelve stone.  Despite joining the gym before Christmas to limit the damage, I still ended up gaining five pounds which I was not exactly surprised over, but disappointed none the less.  To make things worse, I then had a week off work, and all efforts turned into a total binge week and I think at the end of the week I managed to weigh a pretty tidy twelve stone ten!

Since then, I have now lost six pounds and am now on the balance of weighing twelve stone four or five so I'm still classed as overweight.  I am currently aiming to go to the gym five times a week, and no less than four.  I am finally in the routine of going to the gym now, and it doesn't feel like such a chore anymore and is just part of my routine.  Liam always says to me that if you do something regularly ten times, you'll learn to love it and whilst I don't want to admit it, I think he might be right!

Recently, I've been finding it so hard to stay motivated to do anything.  I've been going to the gym, training hard, and eating averagely well but things aren't happening as quick as I would like.  How silly does that sound...I know that weight loss doesn't happen overnight, or even over the two weeks where I have been really expecting it.  I just thought I would have seen more changes having gone from doing no exercise, to exercising regularly.

Physical Living 

If you hate the gym as much as I do, I really recommend doing group exercise instead of roaming around the gym deciding what machine to go on next.  It's so much more interesting and, dare I say it, fun working out as part of a group.  My absolute favourites are the Body Combat and Fight FX classes, which involve punching and kicking routines with some pad and mitt work in!  I also take part in HIIT, VIPR, Kettlebell, Body Pump and Yoga classes every week Monday to Friday.  Everyone works together, and the class leaders are really motivational and enthusiastic about what they do, it's hard to not get into what you're doing.

I go to the gym alone every single time and it can be dauting stepping foot into a studio where everyone has come with their friend, especially when you have to do some group work - there has been more than one occasion where I've had to work with the class leader, but I always get the best workouts being paired up in that way!

Putting in all this effort and not losing any weight is definitely saddening.  But I have made a lifestyle change; as long as it comes off eventually, I don't care how long it takes.  Muscle also weighs more than fat does, so even though I have maintained my weight, I have in fact lost inches off my body.  A loss is a loss - don't get disappointed by the scales; keep track of your physical measurements!  Find something to work towards; my Dad is getting married in April, and I am planning a holiday for July so this will also help to keep me motivated!

What are your tips for staying motivated at the gym?  Do you prefer gym or home workouts?

Making A Change: Excuses & Plans

Well I'm back to give you an update on my weight/fitness goals.  To put it bluntly, it hasn't gone anywhere.  In December, I joined the gym so that I could battle the obvious weight gain that was going to happen over the festive period, that way, I wouldn't have as much to lose after Christmas.  You can see my post full of intentions and positive attitude here...however...things just didn't go to plan.

THE EXCUSES

The first few weeks of joining the gym I was doing SO well, I'd book my classes in advance and went every week, even the evenings when I really didn't want to go.  Then around two weeks before Christmas, I got the worst sickness bug and spent five days being sick and all the rest of it that comes with a sick bug, so I never went back.

Then, when I was better and felt ready to leave the house, all the classes were limited because it was Christmas and they didn't come back until almost a week after New Year.  When I did check in the gym, it was literally just to help my boyfriend do his work out, with a few squats thrown in, nothing spectacular or worth while.  I then left my gym card at his and kept forgetting to pick it up, and then it was my birthday and nobody goes to the gym on their bithday.

Excuses, excuses, excuses...

THE PLAN

I have gained 5 pounds since my last post, the opposite of what I wanted to achieve.  I expected some weight gain, but almost half a stone is more than I anticipated so I'm done with making excuses for myself.  I've got my gym card back, I've even grabbed some new gym gear, and I am busy pinning away healthy recipes for what I can do to help my diet.  I've booked my usual classes, and I am back on with my fitness starting this evening.  Hurrah!

I still hate the gym.  I only go to my classes because I have to book in advance so feel like I have to go.  But I guess that's the best way.  I just need to keep reminding myself that I want to get into my healthy weight targets, and have a healthy body.  I need to be realistic with my goals, because I always think that if you set unrealistic targets, you'll be disappointed when you don't get them, or give up because nothing is happening.  I'm never going to have the thigh gap, I've never had a thigh gap - the only gap I've ever had when my feet are together is a small hole below my knees, and a gap for my ankles.  My build isn't one that could get that body shape.  I'm leggy, I'm curvy and I'm a pear.  A big ol' juicy one.  All I want is to lose some weight, and have legs like Beyonce.  (Come on guys...got to have something to aspire to!)

If anyone has any healthy recipes, good healthy blogs to follow, please share them with me in the comments below.  Link me up with your posts too if you have them!  You can also stalk what I'm pinning on my Pinterest account - but, be careful...some recipes on my recipe board aren't so healthy!

Who wants to join me on my mission to get healthier?  What are your top tips?

Making A Change: Fitness

Today is a slightly different post to what I normally write about.  If you follow me on Twitter, you may have spotted that I joined the local gym on Friday.  I know what you're all thinking..."you're starting the gym before Christmas?!"  It shocked me too, but yes; I like to think of it as damage limitation because Christmas is just full of indulging in your festive favourites, and if you're aiming to lose weight, why make it harder for yourself when it gets to January!

I am in no way a fitness expert/fitness freak.  I hate exercise.  There's nothing I love more than tea and cake, and doing nothing but sitting on my bum all day long.  Whilst I was at University, I was a member of the gym, occasionally made regular visits, and over summer did pretty well with Insanity DVD's, but nothing ever stuck. Since moving home in July, I have literally done no exercise and well...I can tell, and it's just not healthy for me to do literally nothing.

At 5ft8 and 12 stone, my BMI is 25.5 according to the NHS website, just sneaking into the overweight section.  I'm a size 12 on my top, and can just now fit into a size 14 on my bottom with jeans!  I wouldn't say that I am unhappy with how I look, as much as I moan on about my huge thighs and bum, I quite like having a pear shape.  My main aim for joining the gym is to tone up, and obviously I would like to be comfortably in my healthy weight zone.  I know BMI is a bit dodgey to go on, but my goal weight has always been between 11 and 11 and a half stone, I've just never made it there!

At my heaviest, I was weighed in at almost 14 stone.  If anyone is interested, I can share how I initially lost my weight on another post, so let me know if you'd like some quick tips.  That was three years ago, and I managed to lose the weight and keep it off much to my surprise as I'm not the healthiest of eaters now, so I can't even imagine what I must have been eating like to climb that far up the scales.  I've just never managed to make it below the 12 stone mark; this last stone just will not shift.

So!  I thought I'd share with you my plans in the hope that I stick to them now that I have publicly announced it.  You know what I'm intending and I know what I've got to do - I will aim to post updates as often as I can!

Is anyone else thinking of getting fitter soon?  What are your top fitness tips?