Adventures of late. 12 week challenge.

Hello Hello!
It's been a while since I've spoken about fitness or the challenge....
Don't worry, I haven''t neglected the 12 week challenge... completely, well at all really. I have still been working out like a motherf***er but let's just say the Easter bunny came... and I caved at the sight of a Lindt bunny... and maybe a hot cross bun.... and possibly a few other random chocolates.... Never mind.


Over Easter my bf and I decided that it was a good time to get away and have a little holiday. We wanted to go up the coast, and he had been dying to camp. After hearing great reviews from friends who go every year, we decided to go to Crescent Head. Crescent head is midway between Port Maquarie and Coffs Harbour, which for those who don't know is on the Northern Coast of N.S.W. Which for those who are geographically challenged... is in Australia.

We split the drive in two and stayed with relatives in Canberra for a night both ways. This meant that it was pretty much two drives of 7.5 hours.

If you already follow @poodlestalkers on instagram you may have already seen some of these pictures (taken from my iphone). If you don't already follow us... you should start :)



A cider by the beach.... heaven!





Apologies for the quality of this image!



How amazing are these photo's! Crescent Head is such a beautiful place and is only a small little town. I really recommend it for those who want to relax.

We ended up coming home a day early because it rained and we were on the verge of a camping disaster... think flooded tent.

We must've looked like we were really struggling with our tarp because numerous fellow camping neighbours often came up to us with their "camping advice". It was borderline embarrassing, but funny at the same time.

I'm  not sure when the next camping trip will be... I think we will have to be a little more prepared! Such a great few days though and I managed to sneak in some amazing beach runs.

Speaking of running, and fitness.

I completed my first long run a few weeks ago. If you remember I was really nervous (you can read about it here) because I'd never run over ten km before, and this run was 15km.

The fun run was a fundraiser for The Royal Children's Hospital.

The race was completely fine! I had a really steady and good pace going and I manged to run the whole way. My finishing time was 1 hour and 33 minutes. Not too bad at all! Especially for a first time 15km effort!

The orange t-shirt I have on below is hideous.... they should have chosen a better colour for the run and maybe more people would've bought the extra fundraising item.



All nervous for my 15km run!





Spot me!



12 week challenge: Healthy Habits.

My last WOW was a "strength" WOW.... which is not really my strongest attribute! But I'm working on it! It included:

•  Bench pressing for 2 mins as many as you can (at quite a weight... it was hard work I tell you).
• Bench pressing for 1 min.
• Dead lifts, as many as you can in 2 mins. I had to modify my weight because I had a sore back... but it was still really hard!
• Dead lifts for 1 minute.
• Weighted lunges on one leg for 2 mins.
• Weighted lunges on the same leg for 1 min.
• Weighted lunges on the other leg for 2 mins.
• And then again for one minute......

If you're wondering what I'm talking about when I mention a WOW workout... then read here. Remember... this isn't the only workout I do in a week. I usually exercise 5-6 times a week, the WOW just being one of those.

Moving on... I thought this week I would share a little bit about myself and some of the changes I have made to my lifestyle.

CHANGES

• I've stopped adding salt when cooking or seasoning... Hard to do but so much better for you. It's crazy how much hidden sodium is in all the food we eat! I always check out the nutritional stats on the back of products. You may get carried away looking at the kj/calories, fat or sugar... BUT DON"T FORGET THE SALT!!

• I've started taking Chlorophyll "Chlorella" supplements. Fellow Poodlestalker Holly bought be a Women's Health subscriptiion for Christmas (she knows me too well) and I saw "Chlorella" advertised. Did some research and thought I'd give it a try. If you want to find out more about this product you should click here. But basically it is a detox tablet that helps to naturally flush out toxins, metals and pollutants that we breathe and digest every day without even knowing. Just a tip... If you want to start taking these... startly SLOWLY... one a day... they get you going... if you know what I mean...
• I've added a protein shake into my daily diet. I have previously pictured this Whey dominant powder in our Super Orb Recipe. I usually have 1-2 shakes a day and it's great because I can have it on the go (usually in the car on the way to work) (Let me stress... I do not encourage a 'liquid diet' and I in no sense encourage people to not eat.) You can buy it now or read about the nutritional facts. I swear by this powder and it's great for people who want to maintain lean muscle, lose the fat and feel fuller for longer!

• MOST RECENT change: I've added another supplement into the mix. It's by the same brand 'Evolve' and it's called L-CARNITINE. There's a big spiele about it on the previous website I linked... but to cut a long story down... L-Carnitine basically is an amino acid derivative that helps the body break down fatty acids and helps the body use fat for energy! Good-bye fat!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed a little snoop into my current health/fitness route. Let me know if you have any great products or have any questions.

We love hearing from you xxx

12 week challenge. WOW #2

First of all... this week has been horrible. Our family cat "Cuddles" got run over a few days ago.. and it's all very sad. It's funny how attached you get to your pets... they are very much a part of your family... so when they're gone it's awful. We're all missing her quite a lot. But I like to think that she was asleep in the sun and then she was gone. She wasn't in pain. It was fast. : (


RIP Cuddles.

So I've been keeping myself busy with working out...

Last week I mentioned I had started the 12 week challenge! (You can catch up by clicking here if you missed it.)
I have been doing really well this week and have been quite strict with following the Metabolic Precision Diet. Go me!
As I mentioned last week, I do a WOW workout every week. Last week was hard... but this week was even harder! You do this workout on top of what you usually do in a week! Hell I tell you... I have to say I do enjoy it though... a lot! My Personal Trainer is fantastic and she really pushes me when my mind tells me to stop.

THIS WEEKS WOW:
Video of two trainers from Goodlife doing this weeks WOW
Each circuit consists of:

Box Jumps is using a large box not a lower one.
The 10 Pull-Ups are set to 25kg for women and men don't use the assisted machine.
The 30 Jump Lunges use no weight.
The 20 Dumbbell Burpees is lifting two 8kg dumbbells (HARD)
The 20 Plated Sit ups is using a 5kg weight plate.

If you don't do the rep properly then it isn't counted and you have to do that rep again for it to count.

THE AIM OF THE GAME:
To do as many reps as you can in 20 MINUTES!!!
Each rep is worth 1 point.
So each round is worth 100.

I got 266. Meaning I did two complete rounds and then got up to the burpees. OMG. I was stuffed afterwards... and my body is pretty sore today!
But today is not rest day, about to head out on a 10km run... my 15km fun run is only 2 weeks away!

Looking forward to Sunday... REST DAY!

See what you can do!! I'd love to see how you go! You can do it :)

12 week challenge.

Hello!

Ever since I (Bec) returned from my backpacking adventure 4 months ago I have been working out very hard to return to my pre-europe state! Eating pasta and pastries helped contribute to my four kilo increase.... People didn't seem to notice (or so they said). But I definitely noticed in myself and how my clothes fit! Screw the scales... you can tell by the way your everyday clothes fit. My jeans ripped.... I knew.

Anyway, enough rambling. I have been working out really hard ever since...

My gym has recently started a "New 12 week Challenge" which I have entered. Yay! I'm excited, they take your photo's and measurements so you can see your results. They also give you a metabolic presicion diet, which isn't so much about restricting or cutting out food... but more eating what at the right time to increase your metabolism.

Everyweek I do what is called a WOW workout... Workout of the Week... (You can check out the challenge in more detail here)
My trainer is fierce and I like it! You def need someone to push you at that moment when you mentally give up!

THIS WEEK I did:

750m row (AS HARD AS YOU CAN)

Exactly 1min break.

1.5km run on treadmil (AS FAST AS YOU CAN!)

1min break.

300 skips.
1min break.

750m row (AS HARD AS YOU CAN)

You are timed for the whole thing. If you go over the minute break then that is added to your overall time, so no matter what you don't want to go over in your break!

I did it in 20 min and 08 seconds... and let me tell you... I was STUFFED. So keeping up with the FIT theme I wanted to share some more motivational 'fitspo' to help us all stay focussed!

You should try it... but if you do make sure you go as hard as you can.... as these workouts are designed to be pumped out and not taken at a leisurely pace!